FISHERIES
Fishing crew free on bail
A Taiwanese fishing boat and its five crewmen that were detained by Japanese authorities on Thursday for sailing into Japan’s territorial waters have been released after bail was arranged, the Suao Fishermen’s Association said yesterday. The Suao-registered longline fishing boat, the Sheng Fu Chin No. 26, was seized by a boat belonging to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries about 28 nautical miles (52km) northwest of Ishigaki Island. The five-person crew consisting of Tawainese skipper Wu Wan-cai (伍萬彩) and four Indonesians, were arrested for illegal cross-border fishing, the association said. The boat and the crew were released after the ship’s owner put up bail of ￥4 million (US$39,000), it said, adding that it was not sure when the ship would return to Taiwan. Wu told Japanese authorities that he was heading toward Japanese waters to retrieve fishing gear drifting in that direction when the boat suffered a mechanical failure and crossed into Japanese territory accidentally.
DIPLOMACY
Vietnam’s PM thanks Taiwan
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Thursday praised Taiwan’s contribution to his nation’s economic development and expressed deep regret for the damage suffered by Taiwanese businesses during last month’s anti-China riots. Dung made the remarks while meeting a delegation led by Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam chairwoman Liu Mei-te (劉美德), according to Vietnamese VTV9’s Web site. “Taiwan is one of Vietnam’s successful investment partners, and Taiwanese businesspeople serve as the bridge to link the close ties between the two sides,” Dung was quoted as saying. Liu expressed gratitude for the Vietnamese government’s support, and called for tax reductions to help the businesses that have suffered return to normal operation. Liu said that despite the riots, Taiwan’s businesses will still continue expanding their investments in Vietnam. The riots erupted on May 13 after Vietnamese crowds took to the streets to protest against a Chinese oil-drilling venture in an area of the South China Sea that is also claimed by Hanoi.
ENTERTAINMENT
Golden Melody ad released
A 30-second TV commercial for the 25th Golden Melody Awards was released yesterday to promote the annual event, which is to be held late this month. Featuring some of the nation’s biggest music stars, including Jay Chou (周杰倫), Chang Hui-mei (張惠妹, A-mei) and Jody Chiang (江惠), the commercial was directed by award-winning music video director Bill Chia (賈弘源). Chou, known as the king of Mandarin pop, Chiang, the diva of Taiwanese-language music, and “Pride of Taiwan” A-mei have racked up 132 nominations and 29 Golden Melody awards between them. The 25th Golden Melody Awards ceremony will be held at Taipei Arena on June 28, and the Taiwan Television Enterprise, which is hosting the awards show, is to broadcast the red carpet event and the ceremony live beginning at 5pm.
SOCIETY
Chinese identity poll released
A recent survey showed that less than 50 percent of Taiwan’s people recognized themselves as Chinese in the second quarter of this year. This was the first time the figure has dropped below 50 percent since the first quarter of last year, Hsieh Ming-hui (謝明輝), executive director of the Taiwan Competitiveness Forum (TCF), said on Thursday.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
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