Movie star Jackie Chan (成龍) says he will stay away from Taiwan for four years to avoid protests over remarks he made calling last year's presidential elections a joke, TVBS reported yesterday.
At a news conference in China last year, the action hero said Taiwan's disputed presidential election was ``the biggest joke in the world,'' provoking calls from politicians in this country to ban his movies.
In an interview in Cannes with TVBS broadcast yesterday, Chan said he wanted to avoid Taiwan for the time being.
"If I come, some people might organize something at the airport," Chan said, alluding to recent political protests at CKS International Airport.
Chan said he was hurt by the reaction to his remarks.
``I love Taiwan so much. I'm a person who likes Taiwan so much. I have done so many things in Taiwan, but then I get this result,'' he said.
The Hong Kong-born entertainer, who is married to a Taiwanese actress, was hugely popular in Taiwan, and has visited frequently. He has appeared in commercials on behalf of the police and an anti-smoking charity.
Meanwhile, Chan will front a controversial series of Chinese national anthem broadcasts aimed at promoting patriotism in Hong Kong, the South China Morning Post reported yesterday.
He is one of a group of celebrities who will appear in one-minute broadcasts to go out on Chinese-language TV channels before news bulletins, starting next Monday.
Chan will speak briefly on the history of the Chinese national anthem before the anthem is broadcast to a flag-waving backdrop, according to the report.
The broadcasts, introduced in the wake of pro-democracy protests in the territory, have been criticized by activists as "brainwashing" by China.
Daniel Heung (香灼璣), chairman of the government's Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education, told the paper the broadcasts would improve the public's knowledge about China.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
The Taipei MRT is to begin accepting mobile payment services in the fall, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said on Saturday. When the company finishes the installation of new payment units at ticketing gates in October, MRT passengers can use credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the operator said. In addition, the MRT would also provide QR payment codes — which would be compatible with Line Pay, Jkopay, iPass Money, PXPay Plus, EasyWallet, iCash Pay, Taiwan Pay and Taishin Pay — to access the railway system. Currently, passengers can access the Taipei MRT by buying a single-journey token or using EasyCard,
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