Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) yesterday announced a plan to organize a New Year party for the survivors of the destruction of Siaolin Village (小林) in Kaohsiung County, which was leveled by Typhoon Morakot in August.
“The typhoon devastated the village, but Siaolin’s villagers are not alone because we stand by them,” she said. “It is important to continue providing care to the Siaolin villagers, who are still suffering immense pain at the turn of the year — their first New Year since the tragedy.”
Huang, who was elected from a constituency in Kaohsiung, said she and some 30 volunteer workers from colleges and universities in the south, in collaboration with a self-assistance group of villagers, would organize the party at the village on New Year’s Eve.
“We hope to help the survivors and their families wave goodbye to the sorrow and embrace a better New Year in a warm atmosphere,” she said, adding that “there will be no celebrities or fireworks, but we will stage a concert, a barbecue and a night campfire for them.”
Huang said she would also donate children’s books collected from the public.
“We hope Siaolin’s children can find solace and a new lease on life from these books and welcome the New Year with confidence and strength,” she said.
More than 600 people in Siaolin were buried alive in a landslide triggered by Morakot, making the village the hardest-hit area in the country.
‘JOINT SWORD’: Whatever President Lai says in his Double Ten speech, China would use it as a pretext to launch ‘punishment’ drills for his ‘separatist’ views, an official said China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the nation to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials said. China in May launched “punishment” drills around Taiwan shortly after Lai’s inauguration, in what Beijing said was a response to “separatist acts,” sending heavily armed warplanes and staging mock attacks as state media denounced newly inaugurated Lai. The May drills were dubbed “Joint Sword — 2024A” and drew concerns from capitals, including Washington. Lai is to deliver a key speech on Thursday in front of the Presidential Office
An aviation jacket patch showing a Formosan black bear punching Winnie the Pooh has become popular overseas, including at an aviation festival held by the Japan Air Self-Defense Force at the Ashiya Airbase yesterday. The patch was designed last year by Taiwanese designer Hsu Fu-yu (徐福佑), who said that it was inspired by Taiwan’s countermeasures against frequent Chinese military aircraft incursions. The badge shows a Formosan black bear holding a Republic of China flag as it punches Winnie the Pooh — a reference to Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) — who is dressed in red and is holding a honey pot with
Taiwan was listed in 14th place among the world's wealthiest country in terms of GDP per capita, in the latest rankings released on Monday by Forbes magazine. Taiwan's GDP per capita was US$76,860, which put it at No. 14 on the list of the World's 100 Richest Countries this year, one spot above Hong Kong with US$75,130. The magazine's list of the richest countries in the world is compiled based on GDP per capita data, as estimated by the IMF. However, for a more precise measure of a nation's wealth, the magazine also considers purchasing power parity, which is a metric used to
NINTH MONTH: There were 11,792 births in Taiwan last month and 15,563 deaths, or a mortality rate of 8.11 per 1,000 people, household registration data showed Taiwan’s population was 23,404,138 as of last month, down 2,470 from August, the ninth consecutive month this year that the nation has reported a drop, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. The population last month was 162 fewer than the same month last year, a decline of 0.44 per day, the ministry said, citing household registration data. Taiwan reported 11,792 births last month, or 3.7 births per day, up 149 from August, it said, adding that the monthly birthrate was 6.15 per 1,000 people. The jurisdictions with the highest birthrates were Yunlin County at 14.62 per 1,000 people, Penghu County (8.61
RSS