Another aerial photography drone crashed into Taipei 101 on Tuesday, further highlighting the dangers that drones pose to public security and privacy.
Since the screening of documentary film Beyond Beauty — Taiwan From Above (看見台灣) many people have purchased photography drones and sought to replicate the scenery in the film.
However, this year Taipei 101 has seen drones hit the building on June 15, June 20 and July 21, Taipei 101 spokesperson Liu Chia-hao (劉家豪) said yesterday, adding that one of the drones dropped within 2m of a pedestrian walking near the building.
Photo: Yao Yueh-hung, Taipei Times
A Taichung resident surnamed Tsai (蔡) is the owner of the drone that hit the skyscraper on Tuesday
Tsai said he had been using the drone while visiting Taipei.
The pedestrian was unharmed and the incident was reported to the police, Liu said, adding that there was concern over a lack of regulations for drones.
The wreckage of the drone was found on both the first floor and the balcony of the 82nd floor, indicating that the drone was flying at least as high as the 82nd floor, Liu said.
The broken pieces have been sent to the Taipei City Police Department to establish if the two parts belong to the same drone, Liu said.
Taipei 101’s management is not authorized to view the footage stored inside the drone and must wait for police to conclude investigations before learning which level of the building the drone had crashed into and whether it caused any damage, Liu said.
In the meantime, the building is also searching for potential damage via its window cleaning crews, Liu said, adding that the footage recovered from the drone would greatly help narrow the search area.
Subsequent action depends on the police investigation and if the building has been damaged, Liu said.
The Aviation Police Bureau said that it would watch any footage after the Taipei City Police Department has concluded its investigations, adding that it would look for any violations of regulations of civic-use aircraft and leave the Taipei City Police Department to determine criminal liabilities.
The department said that according to Article 118 of the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), owners of pigeons or flight-capable craft that might interfere with aviation safety could be fined from NT$300,000 to NT$1.5 million (US$9,131 to US$45,653).
The departments said owners of aerial photography drones need to be careful where they are using drones to avoid fines.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS