ELECTIONS
By-elections date changed
Legislative by-elections for seats vacated in Taipei and Taichung following the Nov. 24 nine-in-one elections are to be held on Jan. 27, the Central Election Commission announced yesterday. The commission on Friday last week said that the by-elections would be held on Jan. 26. When lawmakers on Monday suggested shifting the date, as it would coincide with the annual General Scholastic Ability Test, which determines entrance to the nation’s universities, the commission at the time said that the date could not be changed. However, it changed the date following an internal meeting yesterday. The by-elections are to fill seats representing a district in Taipei previously held by the Democratic Progressive Party’s Pasuya Yao (姚文智) and in Taichung held by the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕).
CRIME
Former lawmaker a fugitive
Former KMT legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) was on Friday last week declared a wanted person by the New Taipei City District Court for his failure to appear in court. The wanted notice is valid until April 1, 2041. Lee was in September indicted on charges of contravening the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例), for which he could be sentenced to seven years in prison, and of forgery under the Criminal Code. Prosecutors have accused Lee of embezzling NT$5.32 million (US$173,262) to pay NT$100,000 in alimony to his ex-wife and personal travel fees by applying for assistant fees using dummy accounts.
CULTURE
Calendar promotes military
Renowned album cover designer and four-time Grammy Award nominee Xiao Qing-yang (蕭青陽) has designed the Ministry of National Defense’s calendar for next year, the ministry said in a statement yesterday promoting the product. Titled Around-the-Clock: Defending Our Country, the calendar was designed with the aim of encouraging Taiwanese to show greater support for those serving in the military who stand on guard around the clock, the ministry said, adding that it is the first to include English-language captions for photographs. A total of 5,000 calendars are to be distributed to military units nationwide. It can also be bought at the Taipei-based military-run Youth Daily News.
DIPLOMACY
Su to attend Bush funeral
Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) yesterday left for the US to attend the state funeral of former US president George H.W. Bush. Bush, who died on Friday last week aged 94, is to lie in state at the US Capitol before a state funeral is held at Washington National Cathedral today. US President Donald Trump was also scheduled to attend the service.
CRIME
Three arrested in drug bust
Three men have been arrested and held incommunicado in connection with the discovery of 322.97kg of ketamine, the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office said on Monday. The men were on Nov. 20 apprehended during a stakeout in Taoyuan when they picked up the class-three drugs, which were smuggled into the nation in a container from Shenzhen, China, the office said in a statement. Authorities also confiscated 14 smartphones, an air pistol, an additional 90g of ketamine, a BMW sports car, five expensive watches and other items, as well as NT$2 million, 4,100 yuan (US$600) and HK$45,000 (US$5,766) in cash, it added.
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
EVA Airways, one of the leading international carriers in Taiwan, yesterday said that it was investigating reports that a cabin crew manager had ignored the condition of a sick flight attendant, who died on Saturday. The airline made the statement in response to a post circulating on social media that said that the flight attendant on an outbound flight was feeling sick and notified the cabin crew manager. Although the flight attendant grew increasingly ill on the return flight, the manager did not contact Medlink — a system that connects the aircraft to doctors on the ground for treatment advice during medical
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
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