The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday asked Central Weather Bureau personnel to exercise greater caution after a weather report caused confusion among the public.
Bureau Research and Development Center Director Cheng Ming-dean (鄭明典) on Sunday posted satellite images, which he said showed plumes of smoke rising from the ground.
Netizens said that the smoke was rising from Taichung’s Houli District (后里) after matching the images with a map of the city.
The Taichung Environmental Protection Bureau sent its personnel to find the source of the smoke, but to no avail.
Cheng later apologized for misinterpreting the images, saying he had mistaken cirrus clouds for smoke caused by fire.
New Power Party Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸) said in a question-and-answer session at the meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee that the staff at her office have been busy answering calls from concerned residents in Taichung, but the staff had no information about the images and could not provide answers.
Hung said that her staff contacted Cheng, who informed them about the mistake.
Taichung residents are particularly concerned about air pollution, she said, adding that the ministry should be more careful when publishing pollution-related information.
Department of Aviation and Navigation Director-General Chen Chin-sheng (陳進生) said that Cheng has many Facebook followers because he used to be the bureau’s Weather Forecast Center director.
The bureau has also examined the images and verified that they were cirrus clouds, with shapes and forms resembling solid waste on the ground.
Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Chi Wen-jong (祁文中) said that the ministry has insisted that Cheng verify the information.
Cheng and the bureau corrected the reports, Chi said, adding that they would endeavor to be more careful.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS