■ Politics
KMT-CCP seminar nixed
A seminar scheduled to be held in Taipei this month between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been postponed, and might be moved to Hong Kong after Taipei barred the 60 Chinese delegates from entering Taiwan, a radio station said on Monday. The KMT-affiliated Broadcasting Corp of China (BCC) hinted that the postponement is a sign that Taiwan is tightening its China policy, because last month Taipei barred only Chen Yunlin (陳雲林), director of the Chinese State Council's Taiwan Affairs Office, from attending the meeting. Now, Taipei has barred all 60 Chinese delegates from attending, citing Beijing's hostile attitude to the country and its government.
■ Foreign affairs
Ma says no plans to visit US
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday said he so far has no plans to visit the US next February. Ma made the remarks in response to press reports which quoted Chang Ta-tung (張大同), deputy representative of the KMT and the People First Party (PFP) stationed in the US, as having said that Ma might visit the US in February. Ma said yesterday that for now, he had one trip planned already in the same month to Britain, Ireland and Belgium. According to the report, Ma is scheduled to call on officials in charge of foreign relations in the EU and the Taiwan British Business Council, as well as visiting British politicians in London. Ma also plans to speak at Cambridge University, Oxford University or the London School of Economics and Political Science, probably giving an introduction to Taipei's trade and investment environment.
■ Communications
NCC hearings to be public
The members review committee of the National Communications Commission (NCC) announced yesterday that its hearings at the Legislative Yuan, which are scheduled to run from Friday through Sunday, will be open to the public. People interested in watching the question-and-answer sessions can register to attend, not at the hearing room, but at an adjoining room to watch a live broadcast. Registration starts before the hearings begin at 9am Friday through Sunday. The final list of successful candidates for the NCC will be sent to the Executive Yuan for final approval by the premier. Political parties have named 11 members to the review committee, who will vote on 18 nominees, 13 of whom will become NCC members. To be successful, nominees must win more than 60 percent of the review committee ballots. If fewer than 13 pass that threshold in the first round of balloting, a second vote will be held to choose those who get more than half of the votes.
■ Overseas aid
Taiwan helps poor kids
A Taiwanese foster care center was opened late last month in Guatemala to take care of more than 700 children from poor families, a spokesman for the Taiwan Fund for Children and Families said. The center -- Corazon del Maiz -- is located in San Miguel Chicaj, some 65km north of the capital, Guatemala City, and will offer monetary aid and assistance in health and education to poor children and community services to families in the area, the spokesman said. The Taiwan-based foundation sponsors more than 2,000 poor children in Guatemala -- one of Taiwan's diplomatic partners in Central America.
‘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
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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