President Chain Store Corp’s 7-Eleven convenience store chain opened its first store on Orchid Island (蘭嶼, also known as Lanyu) yesterday, after overcoming criticism from civic groups that the outlet would hurt the island’s indigenous culture.
The store opened its doors to business at 7am, with workers greeting customers using the Aboriginal Tao language spoken on the island, which lies about 80km off Taiwan proper’s southeastern coast.
Tao boys wearing traditional thongs danced during the opening ceremony. Open-chan, the dog-like mascot of 7-Eleven in Taiwan, was erected in front of the store — also dressed in a traditional Tao thong.
Photo: CNA
Addressing the opening ceremony, Lanyu Township (蘭嶼) Mayor Chiang To-li (江多利) said he was very thankful for the arrival of 7-Eleven, which he said would provide residents with many convenient services, such as fee and tax collection. Chiang also expressed the hope that the store would introduce an ATM soon, because there is only one such machine on the island.
The opening of the store was delayed earlier this year after it came under fire from civic groups and some locals, who said that it would bring about harmful changes to the local culture and way of life by promoting a materialistic mentality.
They urged President Chain Store Corp to reconsider its decision, but the company proceeded with its plan.
To celebrate the opening, a health station was set up inside the store to provide free blood pressure checks and liver disease screening for residents.
The online book retailer books.com.tw also donated 500 new books to teenagers on Orchid Island.
According to President Chain Store Corp, the Orchid Island store is the 52nd opened by the chain on outlying islands.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
MORE FALL: An investigation into one of Xi’s key cronies, part of a broader ‘anti-corruption’ drive, indicates that he might have a deep distrust in the military, an expert said China’s latest military purge underscores systemic risks in its shift from collective leadership to sole rule under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), and could disrupt its chain of command and military capabilities, a national security official said yesterday. If decisionmaking within the Chinese Communist Party has become “irrational” under one-man rule, the Taiwan Strait and the regional situation must be approached with extreme caution, given unforeseen risks, they added. The anonymous official made the remarks as China’s Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Zhang Youxia (張又俠) and Joint Staff Department Chief of Staff Liu Zhenli (劉振立) were reportedly being investigated for suspected “serious
ENHANCING EFFICIENCY: The apron can accommodate 16 airplanes overnight at Taoyuan airport while work on the third runway continues, the transport minister said A new temporary overnight parking apron at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport is to start operating on Friday next week to boost operational efficiency while the third runway is being constructed, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The apron — one of the crucial projects in the construction of the third runway — can accommodate 16 aircraft overnight at the nation’s largest international airport, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) told reporters while inspecting the new facility yesterday morning. Aside from providing the airport operator with greater flexibility in aircraft parking during the third runway construction,
American climber Alex Honnold is to attempt a free climb of Taipei 101 today at 9am, with traffic closures around the skyscraper. To accommodate the climb attempt and filming, the Taipei Department of Transportation said traffic controls would be enforced around the Taipei 101 area. If weather conditions delay the climb, the restrictions would be pushed back to tomorrow. Traffic controls would be in place today from 7am to 11am around the Taipei 101 area, the department said. Songzhi Road would be fully closed in both directions between Songlian Road and Xinyi Road Sec 5, it said, adding that bidirectional traffic controls would
RSS