DEFENSE
New frigates launched
The coast guard inaugurated two frigates yesterday to boost efforts to deter illegal fishing boats, mainly from China, officials said. One of the frigates, the 2,000 tonne Tainan, was put into service after a ceremony presided over by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) in Greater Kaohsiung. The frigate, capable of cruising up to 12,070km, will be used to patrol waters around Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea, the coast guard said. “Over the past two years, the government’s efforts have helped lead to peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait,” Ma said according to a statement from the coast guard. “[However,] the maintenance of security in waters around Taiwan has emerged as one of the most important tasks.”
PHOTO: CNA
LABOR
CLA supports extension
Council of Labor Affairs Minister Jennifer Wang (王如玄) yesterday reiterated her agency’s support for legislation that would extend the maximum length of time foreign laborers are allowed to work in Taiwan from nine to 12 years. Manufacturers and employers of foreign caregivers are among those eagerly anticipating an extension, Wang said. She said Taiwanese firms told her they would hire workers who had to return home after spending nine years here because their skills were mature. If foreign workers had the opportunity to stay in Taiwan longer and were able to contribute to the country’s economic development, “we would support this kind of direction,” Wang said. She said extending the maximum length of stay would not hurt domestic workers’ rights because the long-term migrant workers were already part of the foreign workforce import quota.
SOCIETY
Expo visitor wins air ticket
A Hsinchu resident yesterday received a round-trip air ticket between Taipei and Hong Kong, and a potted orchid when she became the 1 millionth visitor to the Pavilion of the Future at the Taipei International Flora Expo. The 25 year-old winner, surnamed Lin (林), was clocked in as the 1 millionth visitor at 2:10pm. She said it was her first visit to the expo and that she decided to see the Pavilion of the Future first because she was interested in green technology. Lin, who was attending the expo with her mother, said she would buy her mother a ticket so they could go to Hong Kong together.
CRIME
Fraud ring cracked
The Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said it cracked a criminal ring made up of medical suppliers and hospitals that allegedly defrauded the National Health Insurance system of NT$2.3 million (US$79,223) by falsely reporting drug prices. Investigators seized accounting documents and files from eight pharmaceutical firms and 11 hospitals and clinics in Taipei, Taichung, Yunlin, Tainan and Kaohsiung, the office said. Fifty-one people were held for questioning, although 11 were later released on bail. Prosecutors alleged the companies and hospitals had been colluding since 2007 to make false health insurance claims. The hospitals paid low prices to the suppliers than they claimed in refunds from the health insurance system, prosecutors claimed, as well as hiding discounts and free drugs they received.
TRAVEL
Tourists treated for injuries
Five Taiwanese tourists who sustained minor injuries in a traffic accident in Hokkaido, Japan, have been discharged from hospitals after treatment, Taiwan’s representative office in Sapporo said yesterday. The tourists were hurt when a tour bus in which they were traveling overturned yesterday while trying to avoid an oncoming vehicle, the office said. They were part of a Taiwanese tour group that arrived in Hokkaido on Tuesday.
TRAVEL
CAL launches Wuhan flights
China Airlines (CAL) yesteday launched non-stop services between Taiwan and the city of Wuhan, its 16th destination in China. The first flight to the central China transportation hub took off from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport early yesterday. The airline is using Airbus A330-300s on the route and offering flights between the two every Wednesday and Saturday.
CRIME
Man sentenced to death
Yu Chih-wei (余智維), 25, was given a death sentence yesterday by the Taiwan High Court for killing his foster mother. The court ruling said Yu was adopted by a couple when he was five years old and that the couple raised him and treated him very well. The ruling said in order to please a 16-year-old girl surnamed Hu (胡) that he was dating, Yu borrowed money from loan sharks to buy a car. However, as the loan sharks asked Yu to pay his debts, Yu threatened his foster mother in an effort to get a property ownership document as security to apply for a bank loan. On March 28 last year, Hu used a scarf to strangle his foster mother, while Yu stabbed her 11 times because she refused to give him the document, the court found.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there
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