■ Tourism
Train service resumes
The Alishan train service, which has been suspended since the March 1 derailment that left 17 people dead and another 170 injured, will resume today, Council of Agriculture Vice Chairman Tai Chen-yao (戴振耀) announced yesterday. Following a series of examinations and repairs to the damaged section of the narrow-gauge railway, a test run was conducted yesterday. The train left Chiayi Station for Alishan yesterday morning without any trouble and returned from Alishan safely later in the day. A mechanic has been charged with neglecting to open an air valve connecting the braking system of the carriages, resulting in brake failure of the four-carriage train that lead to the accident. Two drivers and the chief attendant of the train also face the same charge.
■ Defense
Minister to warn of buildup
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has conspic-uously intensified its combat preparedness in coastal regions over the past year, according to a report to be delivered by Minister of Defense Tang Yao-ming (湯曜明) to the Legislative Yuan today. During the past year, the report says, the PLA's frogmen troops deployed in coastal areas have been upgraded into amphibious forces capable of carrying out landing, loading and unloading missions while equipped with the gear needed to take and hold a beach. At the invitation of the Legislature's National Defense Committee, Tang will present the report analyzing the latest situation regarding the PLA and its threat to the country. According to the report, the PLA naval exercises have been focused on joint-forces combat operations, missile attacks and aggressive drills, aimed mainly at intensifying the navy's landing capabilities.
■ Transportation
Ministry undecided on flights
The Ministry of Transport-ation and Communications (MOTC) has not proposed that future charter flights across the Taiwan Strait be exempted from having to land en route at a third place, a senior ministry official said yesterday. "This proposal was broached by the airlines," Vice Minister Tsai Duei (蔡堆) said, adding that the MOTC has not yet decided whether to include the idea in the ministry's evaluation report on the indirect cross-strait charter flights that ran during the Lunar New Year holiday. Tsai was responding to a newspaper report that claimed the ministry has proposed allowing indirect cross-strait charter flights to make a detour that would avoid the mid-line of the Taiwan Strait without having to land in a third place.
■ Defense
Special task force set up
The Ministry of National Defense has set up a special task force to monitor the situations in Iraq and North Korea, according to a ministry report released yesterday. The report, to be presented to the Legislative Yuan's National Defense Committee today, says the ministry has also stepped up contacts with foreign military authorities and has expanded its intelligence sources in the face of a looming US-led war in Iraq. In addition, the Yunghsing task force is keeping in close touch with the nation's overseas offices and foreign military representatives stationed in Taipei to exchange early-warning intelligence. To cope with terrorists, the report says, the military has forged a combined services command mechanism to tackle any emergencies.
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
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