CRIME
‘Cash smuggler’ stopped
A man who allegedly hid NT$2.9 million (US$85,779) on his person and in a carry-on bag was apprehended at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday, airport police said. The man, surnamed Chung (鍾), was scheduled to board a flight for Hong Kong at 7:25am, but was stopped at an X-ray security check at an immigration counter. He was found with NT$1.6 million tied to his waist, NT$1.2 million tied to his thigh and NT$100,000 concealed in his carry-on bag. Travelers are required to sign a declaration form if they are carrying more than US$10,000 in or out of the country. Chung said he planned to use the money for currency arbitrage, given high demand ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The case is the latest in a string of similar incidents since late last year. Airport police said they suspect a criminal ring might be behind the incidents.
CROSS-STRAIT TIES
Tour bus hit by truck
Eighteen Chinese tourists and a Taiwanese tour guide were slightly injured when their tour bus was hit from behind by a truck in Hualien County yesterday. Police in Sincheng Township (新城) said the bus was on its way to Taroko National Park when it was hit by the truck at the 190.2km mark on Provincial Highway No. 9. They said the truck driver likely failed to maintain a safe distance from the vehicle in front. Hualien Armed Forces General Hospital said all 19 passengers — seven men and 12 women — were initially diagnosed with mild concussion and had mild bruises on their necks. They checked out of the hospital after treatment. Morning Star Travel, the agency hosting the tour group, said that the tourists from Beijing were fully covered by travel and medical insurance.
WEATHER
Cold front forecast
A cold front is to arrive on Saturday, the start of this year’s Lunar New Year holiday, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. The weather will be cold, but dry from Saturday through Tuesday next week, with sunny skies expected during the daytime, it said. Temperatures in the morning are forecast to stay low across the nation over the same period, while the mercury is likely to dip to 7°C in the northern and central areas, as well as flatlands in the south. From Monday, the mercury is expected to rise gradually during daytime, the bureau said. It said the public should be alert to temperature differences in different areas, which could vary by more than 10°C.
ENTERTAINMENT
Madonna ready for concert
US pop diva Madonna is preparing for two concerts to be staged at the Taipei Arena today and on Saturday as part of her 10th worldwide concert tour “Rebel Heart,” sources said yesterday. The 57-year-old singer arrived on Monday evening in a private jet and checked into the Mandarin Oriental hotel, they said. After her arrival, Madonna greeted fans on Tuesday through a post on Instagram. “We are coming to get you TAI-PEI!!” Madonna posted. The queen of pop, as she is often called, is to stay in Taiwan for seven days. She spent all day at her hotel on Tuesday, while her dancers toured Taipei, including the Ningxia Night Market and Longshan Temple, sources said. Tickets for Madonna’s Taipei concerts are still available at 7-Eleven ibon kiosks and online at ticket.ibon.com.tw.
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
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
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
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