■ Labor affairs
Strike decision today
The Taiwan Railway Wor-kers' Union is expected to make a final decision today whether to strike during the Lunar New Year holidays next year. The union made an initial decision on Sept. 11 to strike during the holiday. A union spokesman said a strike would be the workers' last resort to make their opposition to the privatiza-tion of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) known to the government. "We are not militant, but we are not afraid of fighting," he said. TRA Administrator Huang Der-chih (黃德治) said yesterday that the govern-ment understands the workers' position. Huang said he believes that the agency will not be privatized, but it has to be market-oriented. The interests of the employees will be well taken care of, he said.
■ Labor affairs
Vietnam jails pair for fraud
Two men were jailed in Vietnam for duping people into handing over money to secure non-existent jobs in Taiwan, Vietnamese officials said yesterday. The Hanoi's People Court on Monday sentenced La Van Hoa, 40, to five years in prison for masterminding the scheme, a court clerk said. An accom-plice was jailed for 30 months, while a woman was given a two-year suspended sentence. The trio were convicted of deceiving 20 people to part with at least US$3,000. Between late 2000 and last November they sent 11 people to Taiwan on tourist visas who discovered upon arrival that they were not eligible to work and the promised jobs did not exist.
■ Politics
KMT to hold Chiang seminar
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday that it plans to hold an international seminar in late March or early April to commemorate the late Soong May-ling (宋美齡), also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek. The seminar will be held after the presidential election. The theme of the seminar will focus on the Chiangs' roles in China's modernization, a KMT spokesman said. He said the KMT's party history and cultural affairs departments will flesh out details of the seminar, including the agenda and the attendees.
■ Diplomacy
Sister city pact signed
Taichung yesterday estab-lished sisterhood ties with San Pedro Sula, Honduras' second-largest city. Mayor Jason Hu (胡志強) and Taichung City Council Speaker Chang Hung-nien (張宏年) signed the agree-ment with San Pedro Sula City Mayor Oscar Eduardo Kilgore Lopez. Honduran Ambassador Marlene Villela Falbott also witnessed the signing. San Pedro Sula is six times larger than Tai-chung and has a population of 1.5 million. It boasts the greatest number of Taiwan-ese businesspeople of all Central and South American cities. Several thousand Taichung natives currently operate textile or foodstuff businesses in the Honduran city. Hu said the agreement is a good start in terms of cooperation and exchanges.
■ Education
Pact signed with UNC
The National Taiwan Normal University, National Physical Education University and seven other schools signed
a five-year agreement with the University of Northern Colorado (UNC) on Monday to enhance cooperation and academic exchanges. The schools include National Changhua Normal Univer-sity, Taichung Teachers College, Taipei Teachers College, Hualien Teachers College, Hsinchu Teachers College, and Taipei Muni-cipal College of Physical Education.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
The Tainan District Court has found a teenager guilty of posting a sexually explicit video of his girlfriend on social media without consent. The court ruled his parents were legally responsible for the boy’s actions, and ordered NT$500,000 (US$16,051) to be paid in compensation to the victim. The incident took place in December last year, when the boy and his girlfriend, both under 18 and legally minors at the time of the incident, were in a relationship. The boy asked her to send him explicit videos, according to a court filing. A month later, he posted the video on social media, with its visibility
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