JUDICIARY
No timetable for executions
The government has not discussed when it would next execute death-row inmates or who would be executed, Minister of Justice Tseng Yung-fu (曾勇夫) said yesterday, denying an Apple Daily report that 10 executions were scheduled for next month, after Double Ten National Day. He said the death penalty was the government’s current policy and that any execution would be carried out only after a thorough review. He also denied reports that the ministry faced a shortage of police officials to carry out the death sentences because few want the job after more senior officers retire. The Supreme Court has confirmed 12 death row convictions this year, bringing to 51 the number of people awaiting execution.
SOCIETY
Eco-wedding contest planned
The Environmental Protection Administration announced on Monday it was throwing a “low-carbon” wedding competition that will distribute vouchers worth up to NT$100,000 to couples planning to wed this year. Couples who generate the least carbon emissions through their weddings will be awarded gift vouchers that can be used to buy environmentally friendly products, Control and Evaluation Department Director-General Yuan Shaw-ying (袁紹英) said. Contestants will first be rated based on the amount of carbon emissions released in the decoration of wedding venues, the carbon footprint of the meals served, the wedding dress and transportation used by the bridal couple and their guests, Yuan said. Finalists will then have to submit a detailed plan for their low-carbon wedding. There will be three winning couples, one each from the north, center and south of the country. Interested couples must register for the contest by 5pm on Oct. 18 at greenliving.epa.gov.tw/GreenLife/.
TOURISM
Alishan nears record mark
The number of visitors to Chiayi County’s Alishan National Scenic Area this year reached 997,347 as of Monday, edging toward setting a new record of more than 1.07 million, the county’s Forest District Office said yesterday. The office expected the number of visitors to hit a new record in the next three months, attributing the high number of visitors this year to fewer typhoons and rebuilt access roads. The scenic area, a 2,200m high mountain resort established in 1976, has received an average of 800,000 visitors a year during the past decade, the office said. The current visitor record of 1.078 million was set in 2009. However, in August of that year, the area was devastated by Typhoon Morakot and the number of visitors plummeted, the office said.
TOURISM
Tour bus deals on offer
Tourists planning a one-day or half-day trip to scenic spots throughout the country next month might want to take advantage of special deals offered by the Taiwan Tour Bus Service, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday. Tourism Bureau Deputy Director Wayne Liu (劉喜臨) said the service has been popular among both domestic and international travelers. Bureau statistics showed that 50 percent of Taiwan Tour Bus passengers are international tourists. The bureau said 30 routes had been selected and it would promote one route each day next month. Those traveling on a route on its promotion day will need to pay just NT$499, which covers both the bus fare and tickets to tourist facilities. A one-day Taiwan Tour Bus trip normally costs NT$1,500. A half-day trip costs NT$1,000. The special discount will only be available to the first 100 takers daily, according to the bureau. Those interested in the special deals must reserve their trips online at www.taiwantourbus.com.tw.
SOCIETY
Elderly celebrate senior day
More than 1,000 elderly people attended an event at the Taipei Arena yesterday in celebration of the Double Ninth Festival, the traditional senior citizen’s day that falls on Oct. 5 this year. The event, organized by the Bureau of Health Promotion, featured a nationwide competition among 26 teams of contestants, average age 74. The competition was held in response to the WHO’s “active aging” campaign, which advocates optimizing opportunities for health and participation in order to enhance quality of life as people age, bureau Director-General Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) said. Chiou said exercising can help senior citizens maintain their strength and improve their movement, which would allow them to be more independent.
AGRICULTURE
Techniques protected: COA
The government has measures in place to control the transfer of agricultural techniques to China, Council of Agriculture (COA) Minister Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) said on Monday in response to media reports that said China has set up 25 “Taiwan farms.” The reports raised fears of a Taiwanese agricultural brain drain and transfer of farming techniques to China. “We have implemented measures to prohibit the transfer of sensitive techniques to China and restrict visits by [research and development] personnel in these skills to China,” Chen said. Taiwanese agricultural products have enjoyed patent protection following the implementation of a cross-strait intellectual property rights protection cooperation agreement in September last year, Chen said. Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) also told lawmakers that the government would continue to monitor the issue.
‘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
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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