Control Yuan urges better oversight in the military

DEADLY INCIDENT: The call came after a conscript was killed while performing maintenance on a tank, a task that should have been done by certified personnel

The Control Yuan yesterday urged the military to more rigorously enforce regulations, after a soldier was killed another was injured while performing maintenance on a tank in southern Taiwan in July last year. The agency, which investigates and disciplines public servants and agencies, said the Ministry of National Defense and the Army Command Headquarters failed to supervise military officers responsible for training conscripts performing their compulsory four-month military service. That failure resulted in the death of 24-year-old conscript Chuan Jo-yao (全若堯), who was about to be discharged before the incident. The army said that Chuan and a sergeant surnamed Chiang (蔣) were enlisted with the 564th Army Brigade under the 8th Army Corps, and were undergoing training at the Joint Operations Training Base Command in Pingtung County when the incident occurred on July 21. While performing maintenance on a CM-11 tank, Chuan was struck by the gun breach inside the turret, while Chiang was hit by the gun barrel outside the vehicle, “due to an abnormality in the turret stabilization system,” the army said. Chuan was pinned underneath the gun breach and was later pronounced dead in a hospital, while Chiang sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The army later punished and demoted several military officers after they were deemed to have failed to follow military regulations. Citing ministry and army regulations, the Control Yuan said that conscripts such as Chuan who are performing their compulsory military service are not allowed to engage in high-risk tasks. However, Chuan’s superiors apparently disregarded the regulation and ordered him to maintain the tank, which is considered a high-risk task that can only be performed by certified military personnel serving voluntarily. The ministry’s and army’s disregard of potential risk factors, coupled with their violation of training regulations, led to the deadly accident, the Control Yuan said, urging them to conduct a thorough review. The ministry and the

Imported eggs sell out after arriving at major retailers

Major hypermarket chains in northern Taiwan yesterday started receiving shipments of imported eggs, the Council of Agriculture said. The council said that by tomorrow, 7 million imported eggs and 2.8 million locally produced eggs would be distributed to outlets of major hypermarket chains — including RT-Mart, Carrefour, PX Mart, A-Mart and Simple Mart — starting with those in Taipei and New Taipei City, where the shortage is the most severe. Eggs remain difficult to find in supermarkets and yesterday’s deliveries sold out quickly. Carrefour said about 8,000 boxes of imported eggs distributed to 40 stores in areas north of Changhua County had all sold out as of noon, while an additional 4,500 boxes would be available for sale at 27 outlets in areas south of Changhua today. RT-Mart and PX Mart said they started selling imported eggs at their outlets in Taipei and New Taipei City, without disclosing how quickly the eggs sold out. Simple Mart and A-Mart said imported eggs would be available at their stores starting today or tomorrow. The council said an additional 30 million eggs would be imported next month and 50 million in May to make up for a daily shortage of at least 500,000 to 800,000 eggs that has persisted since the Lunar New Year holiday in late January. Some hypermarket chains have limited the purchase of eggs to one or two boxes per person. The council said that imported eggs must first be rinsed and graded at commercial egg processing plants before being distributed to hypermarket or supermarket chains, where they would be sold as pre-washed eggs at prices of between NT$65 and NT$99 per box. The government is importing eggs, liquid eggs and boiled eggs from Australia, Brazil, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey and the US.

No Tsai meetings planned: US official

CHINESE DISRUPTIONS? A call to action has been circulated among Taiwanese and supporters of the nation in the US to counter expected protests prompted by Beijing

There is no plan for any US officials to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) during her transit stops in the US on the way to and from two of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday. Kirby described Tsai’s visit as “unofficial” and “private,” saying there are no plans for government officials to meet with her during her time in the US. It would be the seventh transit Tsai has made in the US during her time in office and such arrangements are not uncommon, he said. Tsai departed Taiwan for Guatemala and Belize yesterday, with stops planned in the US for both legs of the 10-day trip to Central America. She was expected to arrive in New York yesterday US time before traveling to Guatemala and Belize, then spend time in Los Angeles before returning to Taiwan on Friday next week. Tsai is to receive an award from the Washington-based Hudson Institute during her New York stopover. Media have previously reported that she is to meet with US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy and deliver a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in California. A national security insider told the Central News Agency that Beijing has instructed its embassies to organize disruptive protests during Tsai’s time in New York and Los Angeles. Citing Taiwanese and US intelligence, the official said that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordered its consulates in the two cities to mobilize overseas Chinese, members of the China Council for the Promotion of Peaceful National Reunification and others to disrupt the visits. A call to action has been circulating among Taiwanese and supporters of the nation in the cities to counter the expected protests. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) wrote on Facebook that China was acting like a “gangster state.” DPP Legislator Chao

Tsai, Pavel might meet face to face: Czech speaker

SECURITY PARTNER: The Czech delegation signed several MOUs with local institutions and another pledging to cooperate in the defense of democracy and freedom in Taiwan

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Czech President Petr Pavel might meet face-to-face at international meetings attended by both leaders, Czech Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marketa Pekarova Adamova said yesterday. She made the remark at a news conference at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei before she and her delegation departed from Taiwan, in response to a question about the possibility of Tsai and Pavel meeting at the 27th Forum 2000 Conference in Prague later this year. Adamova said that although she cannot speak for Pavel, senior Czech officials have shown unanimous support for Taiwan. Tsai congratulating Pavel upon his election was an indication of the direction the future might take, she added. According to Czech-language media, Pavel on Tuesday told a panel of students that a presidential visit might elicit a stronger negative response from Beijing — including punitive economic measures — than one by lawmakers. While the Czech Republic follows the “one China” policy and has never questioned China’s territorial integrity, the nation has a right to develop ties with any party it wishes to, he said, adding that nothing can stop him from speaking with Tsai at a neutral international event or forum. Tsai was invited to address the upcoming Forum 2000, the third time she has been asked to do so in as many years. Earlier yesterday, the delegation signed several memorandums of understanding (MOUs) for Czech institutions to cooperate with their counterparts in Taiwan. They include partnerships between the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) and the Institute of International Relations Prague, the National Taiwan Museum and the Czech National Museum, and a parliamentary friendship pact. Adamova’s visit has facilitated Taiwan’s bid to obtain mobile missile launchers and self-propelled artillery systems, as well as a strategic cooperative for the research and development of drones, the Chinese-language CM Media news site said. Adamova

By Lu Yi-hsuan and Jonathan Chin

Taiwanese prioritize marriage, birth, education: poll

Taiwanese believe that marriage, birth and child education, and elderly care policies need the most urgent attention, results of a Taiwan Youth Policy poll released yesterday showed. However, about 70 percent of the respondents needed to be made aware of political parties’ policies for young people, the poll found. The results were announced at a joint news conference hosted by the Taiwan Thinktank, the Taiwan Youth Foundation, the Taiwan Association of University Professors and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Huang Hsiu-fang’s (黃秀芳) office. The Taiwan Thinktank commissioned Da Di Polling and Research Co to conduct the survey. The poll of Taiwanese aged 18 or older received 1,083 valid responses, Taiwan Thinktank deputy executive director-general Doong Sy-chi (董思齊) said. Asked to rate how well the government is taking care of young people’s needs on a scale of one to 10, the scores averaged 5.48. Of the respondents, 86 percent said that the government should propose policies aimed at the younger generation, an idea that even 75 percent of people aged 70 or older agreed with. Asked which political party’s youth policy was the most attractive, 17 percent of respondents chose the DPP, 6 percent chose the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), 3 percent chose the Taiwan People’s Party and 1 percent chose the New Power Party. Of the respondents, 85 percent agreed that candidates in next year’s presidential election should focus on policies for young people and present youth policy white papers. In terms of respondents’ priorities, from most important to least, marriage between young people, child rearing and care for the elderly topped the list, while poverty among young people (including low wages and overwork), finding jobs and entrepreneurship, preferential loans for new businesses and youth participation in politics placed at the bottom. Huang said that she had suggested to Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) that he include younger politicians when

By Yang Cheng-yu and Jake Chung

Undersea cable damage penalties may be raised

People who cause damage to undersea cables resulting in death could face life in prison and a fine of up to NT$100 million (US$3.28 million) under a proposed amendment to the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). The National Communications Commission proposed the amendment after Chinese vessels allegedly broke two undersea cables linking Taiwan proper and Lienchiang County on Feb. 2 and Feb. 8, disrupting voice communications and Internet services. The Chinese-language Matsu Daily reported that an international cable maintenance ship arrived on Friday last week and is scheduled to repair one of the damaged cables by this weekend if the weather permits. While waiting for the undersea cables to be fixed, Chunghwa Telecom was asked by the commission to gradually increase the bandwidth of a microwave signaling system connecting Taipei and Lienchiang County’s Dongyin Island (東引) to maintain voice and Internet services on the island. Calls to toughen punishments for those caught damaging sea cables increased after the incident. Currently, people who damage submarine cable landing stations, signal exchange rooms and satellite communications centers, and subsequently place the public in danger, can be sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. There is no penalty for those who damage undersea cables. Those whose negligence results in the damage of such infrastructure can be sentenced to up to six months in prison or fined up to NT$200,000. Hsieh Pei-ying (謝佩穎), deputy director of the commission’s Department of Legal Affairs, said that the amendment would hold those who damage undersea cables accountable, adding that the commission consulted the Criminal Code (刑法) and National Security Act (國家安全法) to stipulate clearer and heavier penalties for different types of offenses. The amendment to Article 72 of the Telecommunications Management Act stipulates that anyone who steals, destroys or uses other illegal means to damage submarine cable landing stations, computer

By Shelley Shan

Government could do more to attract tourists: experts

The government has room to improve in terms of attracting international visitors to Taiwan, as the number of inbound travelers has so far only returned to 30 percent of the level recorded in 2019, tourism experts told a public hearing yesterday. The legislature’s Transportation Committee organized the hearing to discuss actions that could be taken by the government and private sector to boost the tourism industry in the post-COVID-19 era. Huang Cheng-tsung (黃正聰), an associate professor at Providence University’s Department of Tourism, said that the number of inbound and outbound passengers together has over the past few months reached 40 to 50 percent of the level seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking during the Lunar New Year holiday and 228 Memorial Day long weekend. Taiwan’s recovery rate is slower than Australia, New Zealand, and European and North American countries, he said. “This shows that Taiwan is having a slower recovery in international travel,” Huang said. However, the number of inbound travelers has only returned to 30 percent of the 2019 level, while the number of outbound travelers rebounded to 50 to 60 percent of the 2019 level, he said. “The large tourism deficit shows there is still a lot of room for improvement in attracting travelers from other countries,” Huang said. Lee Ye-horng (李貽鴻), an adjunct associate professor at Ming Chuan University’s Department of Leisure and Recreation Management, said a majority of international visitors now come from Southeast Asian countries. On average, they have less spending power than people from other countries and stay mainly in Taipei, Lee said. “In addition to those who arrive for tourism purposes, others who come to study, shop, visit relatives, access healthcare services and undergo training, as well as those who are here for business and religious purposes, should all be considered

By Shelley Shan

Former KMT lawmaker out on bail in fraud probe

Former Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) was yesterday released on NT$10 million (US$328,353) bail after police searched his mansion in Taichung’s Salu District (沙鹿) on suspicion of fraud. Yen’s wife, Chen Li-ling (陳麗淩), was released after posting bail of NT$5 million. Taichung prosecutors, investigators and police on Tuesday searched the mansion and summoned the couple for questioning. Yen sold the mansion for NT$45 million, considered to be below market price, to Taichung-based Jazz Space Design (澤序空間設計) in the run-up to a legislative by-election in January last year, which he lost to the Democratic Progressive Party’s Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀). Controversy surrounded Yen during the by-election campaign, as he reportedly has more than 70 properties, while questions arose about how his family acquired the plots and obtained the permits to build the sprawling mansion, part of which is on public land. Authorities on Tuesday also took in four people working at Jazz Space Design — its owner, architect and two employees — saying that all six suspects are facing pending charges of forgery, illegal acquisition of public land and related charges. Yen said the investigation was politically motivated, as the search came after he registered with the KMT last week to run in next year’s legislative election against Lin. However, prosecutors yesterday said they have sufficient evidence to press charges following a year-long investigation. Prosecutors said they also questioned National Property Administration staff on suspicion of forging papers and receiving kickbacks to approve the mansion’s transaction deal. A preliminary investigation found that the transaction was fraudulent and involved suspected collusion by National Property Administration staff, they said. Yen and his wife are still in control of the property, prosecutors said, adding that the fraudulent transaction aimed to avoid questions about how the couple acquired public land and obtained approval for construction, as well as other illegal aspects

By Jason Pan

Always remembered

New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi, third right, offers prayers during a service at the New Taipei City Martyrs’ Shrine yesterday.

Drive safe

Liushidan Mountain in Hualien County’s Fuli Township is pictured yesterday. Several roads that lead up the mountain to the popular tourist site were cut off following an earthquake on Sept. 18 last year. With many roads still damaged, the township office said it is implementing traffic-control measures to accommodate tourists.

Lockdown effects

Children demonstrate an exercise at a news conference in Taipei yesterday organized by the Hsin Yi Foundation. The foundation released the results of a survey on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the growth of young children. The survey found that the physical development of kindergarten-aged children was the most affected due to suspended classes that kept children at home.

Ministry orders Honduras to vacate Taipei embassy

TASK FORCE DISPATCHED: MOFA said it would assist state employees with repatriation or relocation to other ally nations in the region after Tegucigalpa severed ties

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday ordered Honduras to vacate its embassy in Taiwan within 30 days of Sunday after Tegucigalpa made a similar demand of Taiwan. Taipei on Monday announced that it had cut ties with Honduras after the Central American nation earlier said in a statement that it had established ties with Beijing and ended its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan. Following the announcements, Honduran Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Garcia spoke on Honduran television saying that Taiwan would be required to vacate its embassy in the Honduran capital. In Taipei, MOFA later told a news conference that “according to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the principle of reciprocity,” Honduras must vacate its embassy in Taipei within 30 days of Sunday, which is when it cut ties with Honduras. Honduras asked Taiwan to vacate the Tegucigalpa embassy within 30 days of Saturday. MOFA spokesman Jeff Liu (劉永健) yesterday said that the difference in dates was due to the time difference between the two countries. A task force has been sent to Honduras to help embassy staff with evacuation procedures, Liu said. MOFA has appealed to the Honduran government to provide assistance and to allow embassy staff to complete their exit safely and securely, he said. MOFA had records of 61 Taiwanese, including those employed by Taipei and their dependents, in Honduras at the time that ties were severed, he said. The state employees were working either at the embassy or on development projects in the country, he said, adding that MOFA would assist them with repatriation or relocation to other ally nations in the region. As the embassy property in Honduras was leased, there would be no issue with settling assets, he said. Honduran scholarship students in Taiwan would be allowed to finish this semester and flight tickets would be provided to them after the

By Lu Yi-hsuan, Yang Cheng-yu and William Hetherington

President thanks Taiwanese in Japan

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Taipei yesterday thanked the Taiwanese community in Japan for deepening Taiwan-Japan ties and encouraged investment in Taiwan. The Taiwanese community in Japan has always been united and contributed greatly to friendly ties between Taiwan and Japan through civil diplomacy, Tsai told a meeting with a delegation of an association formed from Taiwanese communities in Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Shikoku and Hiroshima. The association collected disease prevention supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic to give to the Japanese government, healthcare institutions and schools, exemplifying the kindness of Taiwanese, she said. After China announced a ban on pineapple imports from Taiwan, the association purchased nearly 10 tonnes of the fruit from Taiwan and gave them to Japanese politicians and social welfare organizations to promote the nation’s high-quality agricultural products, she said. Tsai thanked the association for caring for Taiwan, adding that its efforts have deepened the friendship between the two nations. The joint effort of Taiwan’s government and society has meant the economy has developed steadily since the pandemic, earning the nation the No. 1 spot on Nikkei Asia’s COVID-19 Recovery Index, which the magazine published last year, she said. The Washington-based Heritage Foundation last month ranked Taiwan fourth in the world on its Index of Economic Freedom, the nation’s best performance yet on the list, the president said. Tsai encouraged members of the association to join the “Three Major Programs for Investing in Taiwan” that the government launched in 2019, including its “Action Plan for Welcoming Overseas Taiwanese Businesses to Return to Invest in Taiwan.” The programs, which have been extended to next year, have so far facilitated more than NT$2 trillion (US$65.82 billion) in investments and created more than 140,000 job opportunities, she said. She urged members of the association to continue to exert their influence in Japan and “be the backup force of the government”

By Liu Tzu-hsuan

Ma Ying-jeou visits Sun Yat-sen site in Nanjing

CHINA TRIP: The former president said he hoped the two sides of the Taiwan Strait would work together to pursue peace, avoid war and strive to ‘revitalize China’

Former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday began a 12-day tour of China with a visit to the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing. He paid tribute to Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙), a founder of the Republic of China, giving a short speech and then bowing in front of the memorial. “The people of both sides of the Taiwan Strait belong to the Chinese nation, are children of Yandi (炎帝) and Huangdi (黃帝),” he told reporters who had been allowed to follow him on the trip, referring to figures said to have founded of the Han ethnicity in ancient China. Ma has framed the trip as an effort to lower tensions between Taipei and Beijing by promoting exchanges, bringing Taiwanese college students with him on the visit. “We sincerely hope that the two sides will work together to pursue peace, avoid war and strive to revitalize China. This is an unavoidable responsibility of Chinese people on both sides of the Strait, and we must work hard,” he said, using an expression that refers to Chinese people as an ethnicity rather than a nationality. Ma praised Sun, who advocated for a “modern Chinese nation” and the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty. Outside the mausoleum, a crowd gathered to see if they could catch a glimpse of the former president. Most of the regular tourists expecting to be able to see the mausoleum and the surrounding park found themselves blocked from entering, although a few who had reserved in advance were allowed to enter the site. “Even though there are some difficulties on the official front, as long as there are benefits to the public and you can build a good foundation, then this will be good for the unification of both sides,” said Chen Shaoan, who was at the mausoleum to see Ma. Ma also visited the China Modern History Museum, which is

Mediation sought amid debate over medical bills

The government should help doctors and pharmacists resolve disputes over regenerative medicine, lawmakers and medical groups said yesterday, a day before the legislature was expected to begin reviewing two bills concerning the emerging medical field. The Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee is to discuss the proposed laws — the regenerative medicine and the regenerative medicine pharmaceutical manufacturing bills — starting today. The field seeks to regenerate or replace cells, organs and tissue to restore function using artificial organs made of biological materials. A panel of experts in medicine, drugs, ethics and law should be convened to help forge a consensus between the Taiwan Medical Association and the Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists’ Associations, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Wei-chou (林為洲), a member of the committee, told a news conference at the legislature in Taipei. The federation believes that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) should retain authority to approve regenerative medicine products, as it does for any other pharmaceutical product, Lin said. The association says that as the products are sufficiently different from conventional medications, use authorization should be controlled by a proposed regenerative medicine evaluation board, he said. Regenerative medicine is an important rising field and lawmakers would like to pass the bills as soon as possible, but the government must end the dispute to avoid public confusion that could arise from the disagreement between the medical groups, he said. The Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Education should create a platform to oversee the education, training and certification of professionals involved in regenerative medicine, Lin said. The measures, which would ensure proper division of labor and patient safety, could be implemented administratively after passage of the legislation, he said. The products fit Taiwan’s legal definition of drugs and most regulators around the world agree that they should be regulated as such, federation president

By Wang Chien-hao and Jonathan Chin

Minister outlines plans to address challenges at sea

Taiwan will enhance international collaboration and launch new initiatives to tackle maritime challenges amid uncertainty due to regional issues, Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) Minister Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) said on Saturday, the first day of an international event at the National Science and Technology Museum in Kaohsiung at which organizers called for volunteers to join the Taiwan International Ocean Youth Volunteer program. Pollution and transnational criminal rings involved in human trafficking are issues that maritime authorities have to address, as is aggressive expansion of a “maritime hegemony” by a “neighboring military power” to upset regional stability in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, Kuan said, apparently referring to China. The OAC, the National Development Council (NDC) and the American Institute in Taiwan’s (AIT) Kaohsiung Office organized the two-day event. Kuan outlined the OAC’s four main policy initiatives to tackle the challenges and safeguard the seas around Taiwan: combating pollution, removing solid waste, conserving marine creatures and their habitats, and developing maritime industries. She said that she has been pushing lawmakers to expedite approval of a draft national marine conservation bill, as well as amendments to the Coastal Zone Management Act (海岸管理法) and the Taiwan Marine Industry Development Regulations (台灣海洋產業發展條例). She thanked AIT officials for helping to organize the event, which would allow more young people from Taiwan and abroad to be involved in marine geology and environmental protection, and to tackle issues such as the effect of climate change on sea level, coral and fish stocks. This event and others like it promote international exchanges and benefit scientists across disciplines, she said. The event is conducted mainly in English to encourage attendees to improve their language abilities as part of the NDC’s plan as Taiwan works to become a bilingual nation, she said. More than 300 people from Taiwan and elsewhere attended the opening ceremony, including academics,

By Hung Ting-hung and Jason Pan

Baboon’s death sparks finger pointing

CLAIMING IGNORANCE: It was not clear who ordered a hunter to shoot a runaway baboon, with two local governments and a private zoo implicated in the killing

The remains of a deceased baboon that had run free in Taoyuan for 18 days were received yesterday by Taipei Zoo after it was shot during an attempted capture, as the shooter and officials denied responsibility. The Forestry Bureau said that an autopsy is to be carried out today and the results are expected in 10 to 14 days. The baboon, first sighted in Taoyuan’s Pingjhen District (平鎮), was shot on Monday by a hunter surnamed Lin (林) after being trapped in a building by local residents. It has yet to be determined to whom the baboon belonged. Lin said in a statement that he had been hired by the Hsinchu County Agriculture Department. The county was worried that the baboon, which was last sighted in Taoyuan’s Fugang (富岡) area in Yangmei District (楊梅), was close to the Taoyuan-Hsinchu border and might cross into Hsinchu County. Lin said he immediately made his way to Fugang from Hukou Township (湖口). He said his truck was clearly labeled that he is a contract hunter for removing invasive species. “I told them that if I were to shoot, it would be over,” he said. The Hsinchu County Government rebutted Lin’s claims, saying that while it did reach out to Lin, at the time of contact the response they received was that Lin was already “on site.” “We do not know why Lin would go to the area, and we are not sure who gave the order, but we are confident that we would not order Lin to act outside of Hsinchu jurisdiction,” Hsinchu County Agricultural Department Deputy Director-General Fu Chi-mei (傅琦媺) said. The Taoyuan City Government also said it did not know who contacted Lin, adding that when Lin entered the building, he was not accompanied by Taoyuan Department of Agriculture officials. However, Lin said that the Taoyuan

By Jake Chung