■ Foreign affairs
Taiwanese leave Haiti
Taiwanese in the Haitian capital were evacuated aboard helicopters to the neighboring Dominican Republic on Friday, a western diplomat told reporters. They were flown from Port-au-Prince to Santo Domingo aboard Dominican air force helicopters. The Taiwanese community in Haiti comprises about 50 people, mostly aid workers and their relatives. Both Haiti and the Dominican Republic are among the 26 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than China. The Dominican Republic also has an agreement to evacuate Taiwanese residents from Haiti in case of need. A number of Dominican nationals were also flown out of Haiti aboard helicopters, which flew in diplomatic security personnel for various embassies.
■ Politics
SMS smear backfires
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Shu-hui's (王淑慧) attempt to smear her rivals by text message backfired yesterday when the opposition published her telephone number and encouraged supporters to bombard her with complaints. Wang sent messages to thousands of potential voters ahead of next month's presidential election accusing the opposition leader of domestic violence. "Don't support someone who beats his wife and tells lies," the message said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) has repeatedly denied allegations of wife-beating. The KMT publicized Wang's number at a press conference yesterday, but by mid-afternoon calls to her telephone number were switched straight through to her voicemail.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
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