LEGISLATURE
Tax hike passes screening
A draft amendment that seeks to raise the cigarette tax to help finance the government’s long-term care program passed an initial screening at the legislature yesterday. The Finance and the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene committees passed the draft amendment to the Tobacco and Alcohol Administration Act (菸酒管理法) in a joint meeting. If passed by the full legislature, the amendment would raise the tax on cigarettes from NT$590 per kilogram, or 1,000 cigarettes, to NT$1,590, which would translate into a tax of NT$31.8 per pack, up NT$20 from the current NT$11.8. Minister of Finance Sheu Yu-jer (許虞哲) said the hike is aimed at curbing smoking, promoting public health and would contribute NT$23.3 billion per year to the long-term care program, he said.
SOCIETY
Radio pioneer Tsui dies
Broadcaster and radio drama director Tsui Hsiao-ping (崔小萍) passed away on Saturday at National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei at the age of 94, Chinese-language media reported. Tsui, who was born in Jinan, China, studied at the National Drama College in Sichuan Province during the Second Sino-Japanese War. She first came to Taiwan on a drama tour in 1948. After the Republic of China government lost the Chinese Civil War in 1949, she settled in Taiwan. Tsui introduced radio drama to the nation in the early 1950s. She was arrested in 1968, accused of being a Chinese Communist Party member and sentenced to 14 years in prison. After her released in 1977, Tsui taught at the National Academy of Arts (now National Taiwan University of Arts), Shih Hsin School of Journalism (now Shih Hsin University) and Kuo Kuang Academy of Arts (now National Taiwan College of Performing Arts). She wrote a memoir, telling the story of her arrest, almost a decade in jail and her career, which was published in 2001.
SOCIETY
Ex-AIT official gets residency
A former US Army officer who worked at the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) Taipei Office prior to his retirement last year was given a “plum blossom” permanent residency card on Saturday in recognition of his contribution to security cooperation between Taiwan and the US. Randy Hulme Lawrence, 53, was assigned to head the AIT’s technical section five years ago and was responsible for bilateral military cooperation. Lawrence said he was pleased to stay in Taiwan because he and his family love Taiwan. Lawrence earned a bachelor’s degree in Asian studies from University of Virginia and a master’s in security studies from the US Naval War College. From 2002 to 2005, he served as a military attache at the US consulate in Hong Kong and was stationed in China from 2008 to 2011.
CHARITY
Book sale set for TAS
The Taipei American School’s (TAS) Orphanage Club is to hold its annual book sale on Saturday from 10am to 5pm in the school’s forecourt, lobby and cafeteria. The club has collected thousands of books, as well as magazines, comic books, games and DVDs. The books include classics, best-sellers, biographies, children’s and young adult titles, cookbooks, books on hobbies and learning languages and books about Taiwan and other Asian nations. While most of the materials are in English, there are scores of Chinese-language books and magazines. The money raised from the sale provides funding for orphans and other children in Taiwan. Admission to the fair is free. The school is at 800 Zhongshan N Rd Sec 6, Tianmu (天母).
This story has been corrected since it was first published to indicate that the Orphanage Club book sale will be on Saturday, not Sunday.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
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