■ Crime
Man shoots KTV patron
A drunken man fired a shot at the wall in a Taipei KTV yesterday, killing a man singing with friends in the next room, Chinese-language media reported. A 21-year-old man, Tseng Poh-yi (曾柏義), was arrested over the shooting and was being interrogated by prosecutors, the report said. Tseng had been singing with friends at the KTV overnight and after a few drinks took out his pistol and fired two shots at the ceiling and another shot at the wall, the report said. One of the shots hit another man in the chest as he sat against the wall in the next room, the report said. It said the victim, identified by his surname, Cho, was rushed to a hospital but later died.
■ Politics
Debate figures released
More than 4.5 million people watched the first debate between the two presidential candidates, according to a survey by a television rating service company. The Radio and Television Broadcasters found that 7.28 percent of households with TV sets tuned in to the debate on Saturday, or about twice the number of households normally watching TV at that time of day. The survey also estimated that about 1.9 million of those who watched the program were "deep viewers," meaning they were tuned in to the program for more than 45 minutes. The survey indicated that males aged 50 and above made up the largest portion of viewers at 16.47 percent of the total number who watched the debate, while people in their 20s made up the smallest portion.
■ Election
Kinmen expected to go green
Vice Minister of the Interior Hsu Ying-shen (許應深) said at a ceremony marking the launch of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) Kinmen campaign headquarters yesterday that the president should be able to garner at least 10,000 votes in Kinmen in the upcoming election. Speaking at the ceremony at Peichang Temple marking the launch of the campaign headquarters, Hsu said that as Chen's administration has bolstered the island's infrastructure development by increasing budget allocations annually over the past four years, the president should be able to get at least 10,000 votes in the March 20 election. Chen garnered only 759 votes in Kinmen in the 2000 election. The number of eligible voters on Kinmen stands at about 45,000. Chen Chang-chiang (陳滄江), the president's deputy campaign manager in Kinmen, said Chen Shui-bian is up against "four parties," namely the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the People First Party, the New Party and the Chinese Communist Party.
■ Cross-Strait Ties
China wants name change
Beijing has pushed for a change in Taiwan's formal designation in the Paris-based Office International des Epizooties (OIE) in an apparent attempt to suppress Taiwan politically in the international community. Under pressure from Beijing, the world organization for animal health, known by its French acronym OIE, called for Taiwan recently to accept "certain conditions" that are conducive to facilitating China's "efficient" participation in OIE activities. One of the conditions stated was that Taiwan change its formal name as a full member in the OIE from the current "Taipei China" to "The Separate Quarantine Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu." The OIE passed a resolution in its assembly of international members committees late last year calling for Taiwan to accept conditions that are conducive to facilitating China's "efficient" participation in OIE activities.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as