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.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
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,
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
RSS