CULTURE
Hugh Lee to receive citation
The Executive Yuan has approved a proposal to present theater director and actor Hugh Lee (李國修) with a presidential citation. Lee, founder of the Ping-Fong Acting Troupe (屏風表演班), died in Greater Taichung on July 2 at the age of 57 after a three-year battle with cancer. Born in Taipei in 1955, Lee set up Ping-Fong in 1986 and was the group’s main actor, director and writer until 2011. His works, such as Can Three Make It (三人行不行), are known for satirizing contemporary political and social events and for using a few actors to play many different characters. He was the first recipient of the National Award for Arts in the drama category when the award was established in 1997.
POLITICS
‘Dreamers’ brings censure
The Control Yuan yesterday censured the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Culture over their lack of decision-making accountability in connection with the musical Dreamers (夢想家). The NT$215 million (then US$7.1 million) musical was performed just twice as part of celebrations for the Republic of China’s (ROC) centennial in 2011. Control Yuan members Ma Hsiu-ju (馬秀如) and Chou Yang-shan (周陽山) said then-Council for Cultural Affairs minister Emile Sheng (盛治仁) made all the decisions regarding the musical. Although Sheng’s role as chief executive of the ROC Centenary Foundation helped cut through red tape and expedite the decision-making, it meant a government agency was following the orders of a civilian organization, which was inappropriate, the reprimand said. A lack of foresight and budget control, along with sharp changes to the scheduling, had caused a major budget overrun, it added.
The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) yesterday said it had deployed patrol vessels to expel a China Coast Guard ship and a Chinese fishing boat near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. The China Coast Guard vessel was 28 nautical miles (52km) northeast of Pratas at 6:15am on Thursday, approaching the island’s restricted waters, which extend 24 nautical miles from its shoreline, the CGA’s Dongsha-Nansha Branch said in a statement. The Tainan, a 2,000-tonne cutter, was deployed by the CGA to shadow the Chinese ship, which left the area at 2:39pm on Friday, the statement said. At 6:31pm on Friday,
The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy’s (PLAN) third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, would pose a steep challenge to Taiwan’s ability to defend itself against a full-scale invasion, a defense expert said yesterday. Institute of National Defense and Security Research analyst Chieh Chung (揭仲) made the comment hours after the PLAN confirmed the carrier recently passed through the Taiwan Strait to conduct “scientific research tests and training missions” in the South China Sea. China has two carriers in operation — the Liaoning and the Shandong — with the Fujian undergoing sea trials. Although the PLAN needs time to train the Fujian’s air wing and
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
Taiwanese celebrities Hank Chen (陳漢典) and Lulu Huang (黃路梓茵) announced yesterday that they are planning to marry. Huang announced and posted photos of their engagement to her social media pages yesterday morning, joking that the pair were not just doing marketing for a new show, but “really getting married.” “We’ve decided to spend all of our future happy and hilarious moments together,” she wrote. The announcement, which was later confirmed by the talent agency they share, appeared to come as a surprise even to those around them, with veteran TV host Jacky Wu (吳宗憲) saying he was “totally taken aback” by the news. Huang,
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