SOCIETY
New Year holiday extended
The Lunar New Year holiday next year will run for nine days from Jan. 21 to Jan. 29, Central Personnel Administration Minister Wu Tai-cheng (吳泰成) said yesterday. In response to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) during a question-and-answer session, Wu said the administration had decided to designate Jan. 27, a Friday, a holiday, thereby extending the six-day Lunar New Year holiday to nine days. The administration would also designate Feb. 4, a Saturday, a working day to make up for the Jan. 27 holiday, Wu said, adding that his agency would formally unveil its proposals before the end of this month. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education said this year’s winter vacation for schools would run from Jan. 18 to Feb. 7 following college entrance exams on Jan. 17 and Jan. 18.
CRIME
Thai workers deported
Seventy-nine illegal Thai workers were deported on a charter flight on Thursday. The trip home, co-funded by Taiwanese businesspeople based in Thailand, was initiated by the Thai government as part of its celebration of the 84th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej. The Thai government paid 2 million baht (US$64,900) to book the flight, while Taiwanese businesspeople contributed another 1.3 million baht for other expenses. The deportation was agreed after six months of negotiations with the Thai government, Thai-Taiwan Business Association president Norman Chang (張峰豪) said at a press conference after the group arrived in Bangkok. Also at the conference, Taiwan’s Representative to Thailand Henry Chen (陳銘政) extended his thanks to the Thai workers for their contribution to Taiwan’s infrastructure.
HEALTHCARE
Specialists gather in Taipei
More than 1,000 Asian obstetrics and gynecology specialists gathered in Taipei yesterday to exchange views and share new findings in women’s health. This marked the first time since 1989 that Taiwan had hosted the Asia and Oceania Congress of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Taiwan Association of Obstetrics and Gynecology president James Hsieh (謝卿宏) said. During the five-day congress titled “New Frontiers in Women’s Health,” topics ranging from miscarriages, pregnancy and labor risks to laparoscopic surgery would be covered, Hsieh said. He also expressed the association’s eagerness to host a bigger conference — the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics -— in future. “Our concern is whether Taipei can accommodate 20,000 foreign guests from more than 100 countries at the same time,” he said. If the government helped out, more doctors would be introduced to Taiwan’s achievements in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, he said.
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
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