Conservationists began lectures in Magong (馬公) yesterday on how to protect endangered green sea turtles in Penghu County as tourists flock in for the turtles’ nesting season.
Rich with marine resources, the waters of the Penghu Archipelago are home to many kinds of turtles, including the endangered green sea turtles that come ashore to lay eggs on Wangan (望安), southwest of the main Magong Island.
These large creatures, which can weigh up to 180kg, are rarely seen on land and have become a tourist attraction during their nesting season.
The Penghu County Government, which wants to showcase the migration of the sea turtles as a theme in promoting Penghu’s ecological tourism, and National Taiwan Ocean University professor Cheng I-jiunn (程一駿), are concerned about the impact tourism could have on the turtles.
Cheng said that without proper knowledge about the turtle’s habitat and awareness of conservation, tourists who enter the area could harm the turtles and the eggs they lay.
To better inform people on how not to disturb the turtles while observing them, the Penghu County Government Agriculture and Fisheries Bureau has invited Cheng and other conservationists to give a series of public lectures in Magong every weekend between July 18 and Sept. 15.
National Taiwan Ocean University’s Marine Turtle Research Laboratory started a green turtle research program on Wangan in 1992. Every summer, graduate students and volunteers came to the island to conduct surveys on the beaches on which the green turtles nest.
In addition, a sea turtle rehabilitation center was set up on Wangan in 1997 to accommodate injured and sick turtles. The center has taken care of more than 250 rescued sea turtles and about 150 have been released after being rehabilitated.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
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