COMMUNICATIONS
HSR to get Wi-Fi in June
Wi-Fi Internet services are expected to be available on all High-Speed Rail (HSR) trains in June, Chunghwa Telecom said yesterday. Chunghwa president Sheih Chi-mau (謝繼茂) said the plan to provide Wi-Fi services on both the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line and the Taiwan High Speed Rail has already been fulfilled in the former, while the bullet train would enjoy the same service in June. Passengers should also be able to enjoy smoother 4G Internet services during their journeys, as telecom providers have been enhancing network stability, especially in the tunnels on the northern section of the line. That means stable 4G and Wi-Fi connections should be available in time for the 2017 Universiade in August.
CRIMES
Drug report bill approved
The Cabinet on Thursday approved a draft amendment to the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) that would require “designated business establishments” to report drug possession or abuse by their customers. The definition of “designated business establishments” is to be determined by the Ministry of Justice after discussions with other government agencies. “Designated business establishments” should take steps to prevent drug abuse, for example by posting warnings at their entrances, employing security personnel and reporting illegal drug activities to the police, the bill states. Businesses that fail to adopt such measures would be subject to a fine of between NT$100,000 and NT$1 million (US$3,220 and US$32,205) for each violation, it says. Those that fail to report drug possession or abuse by clients would face a fine of between NT$200,000 and NT$2 million, while the maximum penalty would include suspension of operations for up to 18 months or revocation of business licenses, it says.
POLITICS
Lee leaves hospital
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), who was down with the flu, was discharged from hospital on Thursday, the Taipei Veterans General Hospital said. Chan Wan-leong (陳雲亮), Lee’s attending physician, said the 94-year-old was in good health after being admitted to hospital on Friday last week. Lee’s office director, Wang Yan-chun (王燕軍), said Lee had developed a mild fever and a cough during the Lunar New Year holiday and went to the doctor on Thursday last week. The doctor advised hospitalization for a period of observation after it was found that Lee’s inflammatory index was slightly elevated, Wang said. Lee, who served as president from 1988 to 2000, had a stroke in 2015 and was hospitalized at the time. He was also hospitalized for one night in September last year after he fell ill during a fundraising dinner.
MILITARY
Ex-air force commander dies
Chen Shen-ling (陳燊齡), commander in chief of the Republic of China (ROC) Air Force from 1986 to 1989, died in Taipei on Thursday. He was 92. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) offered her sincere condolences at Chen’s passing, the Presidential Office said. Chen, born in Beijing in 1924, earned his wings in 1945. He took part in battles between the ROC military and the People’s Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War from 1946 to 1949. He was also among the first pilots sent to the US to receive training in F-84 jets in the 1950s. Chen served as chief of general staff of the armed forces from 1989 to 1991. His lifelong contribution to the state represents the highest level of dedication to which all service persons should aspire, the Presidential Office said.
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
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
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