The National Police Agency alleged yesterday that many Chin-ese tourists visiting Hualien have taken an interest in the activities of fighter aircraft in the area.
The agency said that it has increased its monitoring of Chinese tourist groups to prevent tour members from leaving their group to move around unaccompanied.
It said that it had discovered that many Chinese tourists visiting Hualien have taken an interest in the activities of F-16 fighters from the 401st Tactical Combined Wing, based in Hualien.
It did not provide details.
Because of fears of intelligence leaks about Taiwan's military situation, the agency has ordered police to increase their alertness.
The agency said that 11,000 Chinese tour groups, with a total of 160,000 visitors, have entered the country since 2002. Members of 53 groups ventured off on their own, and a total of 123 tour members have disappeared altogether, it said.
Police have apprehended 94 of the fugitives, 56 of whom were working illegally, it said. Fourteen were working as prostitutes, and another 13 were staying with relatives, the agency said.
The agency said that the whereabouts of 19 men and 10 women are unknown, and it has therefore asked all police to step up their surveillance.
In July 2004, several incidents of members leaving their tour groups occured, including one incident where a group of people left their tour group immediately upon entering Taiwan.
In order to deal with such occurrences, the agency has set up a special project for monitoring visiting Chinese tour groups and preventing group members from disappearing and working illegally.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
EVERYONE’S ISSUE: Kim said that during a visit to Taiwan, she asked what would happen if China attacked, and was told that the global economy would shut down Taiwan is critical to the global economy, and its defense is a “here and now” issue, US Representative Young Kim said during a roundtable talk on Taiwan-US relations on Friday. Kim, who serves on the US House of Representatives’ Foreign Affairs Committee, held a roundtable talk titled “Global Ties, Local Impact: Why Taiwan Matters for California,” at Santiago Canyon College in Orange County, California. “Despite its small size and long distance from us, Taiwan’s cultural and economic importance is felt across our communities,” Kim said during her opening remarks. Stanford University researcher and lecturer Lanhee Chen (陳仁宜), lawyer Lin Ching-chi
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