HEALTHCARE
Dependent’s average to fall
The Ministry of Health and Welfare yesterday announced it would lower the National Health Insurance’s (NHI) figures on the average number of dependents from 0.62 people to 0.61 people from January next year. This would allow about 700,000 employers to save an estimated NT$1.4 billion (US$43.1 million) per year. NHI Financial Division head Tsai Pei-ling (蔡佩玲) said that of the estimated savings, about NT$0.8 billion would be by owners of small and medium-sized enterprises, while NT$0.5 billion would benefit the government’s budget. Tsai said that because of the low fertility rate in recent years, the average number of dependents gradually decreased from 1.36 in 1995 to 0.62 last year.
CULTURE
Film ratings relaxed
A revision to regulations governing how films are rated is aimed at giving teenagers the chance to watch more movies, a Ministry of Culture official said yesterday. Films are now classified into five categories, instead of four, as was the case in the past. The new rules took effect on Friday last week. Before the revision, films were rated “restricted,” viewing not permitted for those under 18; “parental guidance,” viewing not permitted for children under 12; “protected,” viewing not permitted for children under six; children between six and 11 must be accompanied by an adult; and “general audience,” viewing permitted for audiences of all ages. Under the new rules, the parental guidance category is divided into two categories: one that bars children under 12 from seeing a movie and the other that bars those under 15 from seeing a movie. The Department of Audiovisual and Music Industry Development said the next step is to help theaters and distributors implement the new system.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard