■ POLITICS
Former officials impeached
The Control Yuan yesterday impeached former secretary-general of the Executive Yuan Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳), former chief of the Hsinchu Science Park James Lee (李界木) and former minister of the National Science Council Wei Che-ho (魏哲和) over a land procurement deal allegedly involving former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁). They were charged with breach of duty when they completed a deal whereby the government-run Hsinchu Science Park purchased land in Longtan Science Park, Taoyuan County, from Dayu, a subsidiary of Taiwan Cement Group. Prosecutors in December indicted the former first family for allegedly receiving NT$300 million (US$9.1 million) in kickbacks from a total payoff of NT$400 million made by Leslie Koo (辜成允) related to the deal. The case is currently being tried.
■ TOURISM
Bureau launches promotion
The Tourism Bureau yesterday launched the Southern Taiwan Summer Tour Passport, which aims to integrate the efforts of local governments and various stakeholders in the tourism industry, such as restaurants and hotels, to promote tourism in southern Taiwan. The summer tour promotion, co-organized by the city and county governments of Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Penghu, will offer discounts of up to 50 percent at hundreds of hotels and restaurants from July 13 to Sept. 30 and includes add-ons such as NT$10 hotel upgrade packages. A total of 80,000 Southern Taiwan Summer Tour Passports are now available free of charge at highway rest stops, train stations, Taiwan High Speed Rail stations and Taipei MRT service centers.
■ TRADE
Fair to focus on France
Next year’s Taipei International Book Exhibition, one of the highest-profile book fairs in Asia, is to focus on French literature and publishing as its main theme, the organizer announced yesterday. Paulina Lin (林文琪), executive director of the Taipei Book Fair Foundation, said there is much to learn from publishing policies and traditions in France, such as the fact that the French government has adopted protection measures for small publishing companies so that the public has access to non-mainstream authors. The 18th annual exhibitionwill be held between Jan. 27 and Feb. 1 at the World Trade Center.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
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