DIPLOMACY
Taiwan, UK to sign deal
Taiwan and the UK are to sign an agreement that would enable the transfer of prisoners between the two sides, the UK representative to Taiwan said. This would allow British prisoners in Taiwan and Taiwanese prisoners held in the UK to apply for transfers home to complete the remainder of their sentences, said Chris Wood, director of the British Office Taipei, which represents UK interests in Taiwan in the absence of bilateral diplomatic ties. The discussions on the issue are still ongoing, the office said. Wood said that Taiwan is included in the UK’s Registered Traveler service program, allowing Taiwanese passport holders who travel to the UK frequently to pass through border controls faster. To be eligible for the program, applicants must hold a British visa or have visited the UK a minimum of four times in the past two years.
AVIATION
Passenger numbers surge
The number of passengers at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the nation’s main gateway, reached 38.47 million last year, an all-time high and representing 7.45 percent annual growth, the Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. Four carriers — NokScoot, Turkish Airlines, Jeju Air and Jetstar Japan — that started offering services at the airport last year contributed to the increase, the company said. New routes to cities such as Istanbul, Houston and Melbourne also introduced new passengers, it said. The airport handled 221,000 flights, a 5.9 percent increase from 2014, the company said. The airport, which has completed the restoration of its second runway, is to undertake new projects this year, including renovating Terminal 2 to accommodate the increasing number of passengers, chief executive officer David Fei (費鴻鈞) said.
SOCIETY
Chiayi sounds snake alert
The Chiayi City Government’s Fire Bureau warned the public about snakes slithering into people’s homes to hibernate after two cobras were caught in a single day. The bureau said it received a telephone call on Saturday evening from a homeowner who found skin shed by a snake while cleaning ahead of the Lunar New Year. Firefighters found and caught a cobra in the basement. They said they had just answered a similar call earlier that day and found a cobra in the kitchen of a residence in the same area. People who notice traces of snakes should not take rash action or disturb the reptiles, but instead call 119 to get help, the bureau said.
CRIME
Three sentenced to death
Indonesia’s Supreme Court last week sentenced three Taiwanese to death for drug trafficking two years ago. The Attorney General’s Office of Indonesia in November demanded the death penalty for 50 drug traffickers, including the three Taiwanese. According to Indonesian prosecutors, the three Taiwanese — Luo Chih Chen, Chen Jia Wei and Wang An Kang — each attempted to bring in more than 2kg of amphetamines through Jakarta International Airport in 2014. More than 30 Taiwanese involved in drug trafficking are incarcerated in Indonesia.
ENTERTAINMENT
Madonna arriving early
US star Madonna was scheduled to arrive in Taiwan last night by a private jet, three days before her first-ever concert in the nation, local promoters said earlier yesterday. Live Nation Taiwan did not reveal the exact time of Madonna’s arrival or where she would be staying. The queen of pop is to hold two concerts at the Taipei Arena on Thursday and Saturday.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
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