President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday posted a message on Facebook to Muslims, who are celebrating Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the month of Ramadan.
Tsai’s post included a video that urged the public to also celebrate Eid al-Fitr, which she said was a significant holiday for Muslims and a celebration of bonds among families and friends.
Tsai thanked Muslim immigrants for their contribution to Taiwan’s economy and said Muslim culture had enriched Taiwanese society.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
“Taiwan is a hospitable nation,” the president said in the video. “Taiwanese believe in a diverse culture and equality for all ethnic groups.”
The government has also been working to create a more Muslim-friendly environment by establishing a halal certification system, which identifies restaurants that serve food in compliance with Islamic dietary laws, Tsai said.
The government has also been advocating the establishment of Muslim prayer rooms in public places and the celebration of Muslim festivals, she said.
Meanwhile, the Taipei City Government yesterday held an event to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, with Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) handing out 500 green envelopes to participants.
The envelopes were green to represent the celebration of life and health in Islam, the city government said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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