CRIME
Cannabis seized in Taoyuan
A shipment of about 6kg of smuggled cannabis was seized by customs officials at a cargo services center near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the Aviation Police Bureau said on Thursday. The 6,225g of drugs were found stashed in two large boxes during a clearing inspection at Taiwan Air Cargo Terminal’s facility, one of the largest air cargo centers at the airport, the bureau said. The shipment was destined for Hualien County, it said. With the assistance of Hualien police, the find was later connected to a suspect surnamed Wu (吳), who said that he was only receiving the package on behalf of a friend in prison. The man was taken to the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office for further questioning, the bureau said, adding that authorities would expand their search to see whether there are possible suspects in the case.
GOVERNANCE
Cultural center opened
The Ministry of Culture yesterday inaugurated the Mongolian and Tibetan Cultural Center, which is to take over the promotion and preservation of Mongolian and Tibetan culture from the now-disbanded Mongolian and Tibetan Affairs Commission. The commission was disbanded last month as part of a government restructuring plan, and its tasks and budgets were distributed among the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council. The Mongolian and Tibetan Cultural Center, housed on the former premises of the commission, is headed by Hsu Kuei-hsiang (徐桂香), who served as chief secretary of the commission. The center is also to supervise Mongolian and Tibetan cultural foundations, organize exhibitions, preserve historical documents and artifacts, and train talent in the field, the Ministry of Culture said.
MEDIA
MOJ accused of power abuse
The Control Yuan on Wednesday issued a reprimand to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ), saying officials have been abusing their power and infringing on press freedom by investigating members of the media. According to the Control Yuan, its investigations have revealed that some ministry officials have been using lie detectors and accessing journalists’ phone records to investigate members of the media. In response, the ministry’s Agency Against Corruption issued a statement defending agency officials saying they were performing their official duties without the purview of a clear law. The agency said it would draft a law to define its duties and how its officials should carry them out independently while also protecting human rights.
IMMIGRATION
Tsai welcomes exchanges
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday stated her administration’s commitment to allow more foreign nationals to study in Taiwan at a reception for a delegation of Malaysian alumni of local universities. Tsai hosted the delegation of officers from the Federation of Alumni Associations of Taiwan Universities, Malaysia, reiterating her administration’s desire to promote more academic and cultural exchanges between both countries’ students, as part of the New Southbound Policy. The growing numbers of Malaysian students attending Taiwan’s universities have made campuses more diverse, she said. Tsai’s goal is to create a cross-national talent base in Asia that will benefit the whole region’s development, the Presidential Office said in a statement on the event. The government is working on policies to make sure that foreign nationals who want to stay and work could do so, Tsai added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
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