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.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
A former soldier and an active-duty army officer were yesterday indicted for allegedly selling classified military training materials to a Chinese intelligence operative for a total of NT$79,440. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office indicted Chen Tai-yin (陳泰尹) and Lee Chun-ta (李俊達) for contravening the National Security Act (國家安全法) and the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例). Chen left the military in September 2013 after serving alongside then-staff sergeant Lee, now an army lieutenant, at the 21st Artillery Command of the army’s Sixth Corps from 2011 to 2013, according to the indictment. Chen met a Chinese intelligence operative identified as “Wang” (王) through a friend in November
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
RSS