The Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA) said on Monday that the US State Department has said passport applicants can write “Taiwan” as their place of birth on their application forms.
Since 2006, US immigration officials in several states had requested that some FAPA members change their birthplace on official documents from “Taiwan” to “the People’s Republic of China” (PRC).
The Washington-based FAPA raised the issue with the State Department, which said “Public Law 103-415 provided that the secretary of state may write ‘Taiwan’ as place of birth in a passport when requested to do so by applicants born there,” FAPA said.
Taiwanese had previously been forced to write “China” instead of “Taiwan” on their passport applications, the group said. It won congressional support and assistance in amending the law and since 1994, Taiwanese have been able to write “Taiwan” as birthplace on their US passports, birth certificates and other official documents.
FAPA said a member in Oregon had been told by an immigration official during a citizenship interview that he had to change his birthplace from Taiwan to the PRC on his naturalization certificate.
FAPA also found that Department of Homeland Security officials had changed “Taiwan” to “China” on some documents.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
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