Immigration officials at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport scrambled to hand-record travel information for thousands of passengers yesterday after the National Immigration Agency (NIA) computer system crashed.
The NIA’s main and backup systems experienced sporadic malfunctions throughout the day. At press time, the system was undergoing repair and was not expected to be back online until noon today, NIA Deputy Director-General Huang Bi-hsia (黃碧霞) said.
Kaohsiung International Airport and Kinmen Airport, which mostly caters to passengers traveling to China via the three mini-links, also reported system malfunctions.
PHOTO: YAO KAI-SHIOU, TAIPEI TIMES
The NIA cited faulty computer hardware, but said the main computer system at the agency was working normally, though it was not accessible at the airport.
The hardware had been replaced and the agency would have more information about the nature of the problems once they were resolved, Huang said.
The Central News Agency reported that the NIA had recently terminated its contract with its computer system maintenance company, which was replaced on Thursday.
The report suggested that a bug could have been planted by a disgruntled individual.
All travel documents were being hand-checked by immigration officers yesterday, causing long lineups and leaving thousands of passengers frustrated. Officers wrote down passengers’ travel information, which the NIA said would be entered into the system once the computers had been fixed.
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport opened 40 immigration windows to handle the backlog of passengers, Huang said.
Repair work began immediately after the system malfunction was discovered at 6:45am, a peak travel hour. Technicians were still battling with the problematic hardware at 2pm, Huang said.
Yesterday was a particularly busy travel day as the first working day following the four-day New Year holiday weekend.
Many passengers feared delays would prevent them from making connecting flights, but the NIA said no passengers had missed their flights because of the glitch.
Huang acknowledged the breakdown could result in a security breach, and said the NIA would not be able to ascertain whether anyone had slipped in or out of the country illegally until the system was up and running.
As of 1pm yesterday, approximately 20,000 people had exited the country through Taiwan Taoyuan International airport.
Minister of the Interior Liao Liou-yi (廖了以) and NIA Director-General Hsieh Li-kung (謝立?urveyed the situation at the airport yesterday afternoon and stayed for 20 minutes after being updated on the situation by airport officials.
One day earlier, hundreds of travelers departing from Taiwan Taoyuan airport on 11 different flights had to leave without their checked-in luggage when a conveyor belt broke down for almost two hours.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS