SOCIETY
Visiting teen dies in fall
A Chinese-American, 17, fell to his death from an upper floor of the Chientan Overseas Youth Activity Center in Taipei, the China Youth Corps said yesterday. The teenager, whose name has not been released, arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday last week with his sister to participate in a 21-day summer camp run by the corps, China Youth Corps inspector Wang Chun-yuan (王群元) said. However, he appeared to have had some difficulty adapting and on Saturday last week began hiding in a clothes closet, Wang said. After communicating with his parents, the corps made arrangements to send the youth to Hong Kong today to meet with relatives, Wang said. It also arranged for him to visit the Taipei Zoo yesterday. However, after the zoo visit, his body was found yesterday afternoon in a garden, Wang said. Police said they are investigating the incident, including the possibility that the young man committed suicide, but said he had not left a note.
POLITICS
Township mayor guilty
The Pingtung District Court yesterday invalidated the election of Chen Lung-chin (陳隆進) as the mayor of Liouciou Township (琉球) after finding him guilty of vote buying. Chen, Liouciou Township Council member Hung Tzu-chien (洪慈綪) and a township council candidate were indicted on charges of paying NT$4,000 (US$128) per vote ahead of the Nov. 29 nine-in-one elections last year. Chen said he would appeal. A verdict in Hung’s case is expected tomorrow. Hung, who ran for office for the first time last year, gained prominence while acting as a spokesperson for her family after her father, Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成), was killed when Philippine Coast Guard personnel strafed his fishing boat during a confrontation in May 2013.
SOCIETY
Mobile bathing van donated
Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) over the weekend thanked MySchin Co chairman Chen Chih-chi (陳志池) for donating a mobile bathing vehicle, the county’s third. The vehicle cost more than NT$2 million. The county’s seniors and disabled residents will be better served, Wei said, adding that the county needs at least eight such vehicles to serve residents. He said that he hoped more people would assist the county government’s efforts to help people in need. Chen, who grew up in the county’s Erlin Township (二林), said he had always wanted to do something for areas lacking resources, especially when society is rapidly aging. The county government launched the mobile bathing program last year with two bathing vehicles, which as of the end of May had made 1,733 missions. The new vehicle is scheduled to enter service next month.
TRANSPORTATION
App provides MRT times
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) yesterday launched a mobile app that allows users to check the arrival times of Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System trains. The app also displays the location of YouBike stations and parking lots near MRT stations and provides bus transfer information, the transit operator said. It also indicates which MRT exits have elevators, escalators or staircases, the company added. The app was released for Android devices in the Google Play store yesterday afternoon and is to be available for iOS devices in the Apple App Store after screening by Apple Inc, it added.
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
COVID-19 infections have climbed for three consecutive weeks and are likely to reach another peak between next month and June, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Weekly hospital visits for the disease increased by 19 percent from the previous week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. From Tuesday last week to yesterday, 21 cases of severe COVID-19 and seven deaths were confirmed, and from Sept. 1 last year to yesterday, there were 600 cases and 129 deaths, he said. From Oct. 1 last year to yesterday, 95.9 percent of the severe cases and 96.7 percent of the deaths
Restarting the No. 2 reactor at the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant would take up to 18 months, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) said today. Kuo was answering questions during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Economics Committee, where legislators are considering amendments to the Renewable Energy Development Act (再生能源發展條) amid concerns about the consequences of the Pingtung County reactor’s decommissioning scheduled for May 17. Its decommissioning is to mark the end of Taiwan’s nuclear power production. However, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers have proposed an amendment to the Nuclear Reactor Facilities Regulation Act (核子反應器設施管制法) that would extend the life of existing
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday demanded that Somalia reverse its decision prohibiting Taiwanese passport holders from entering or transiting through the country. Somalia said it is following the “one China” principle based on UN Resolution 2758. The ministry said that Somalia is misinterpreting the resolution under China’s instigation, creating a false impression that Taiwan is subordinate to China. The Somali Civil Aviation Authority told airlines on Tuesday last week that starting today, any passengers with passports or travel documents issued from Taiwan or its affiliated institutions would not be allowed to enter or transit through Somalia. The decision comes as Taiwan is boosting
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