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.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
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