SOCIETY
Taipei to allow gay rentals
The Taipei City Government is processing a regulatory amendment that would allow registered same-sex couples to rent public housing units, a city official said on Sunday. The amendment has been approved by the city and is soon to enter the next stage which is consulting public opinion on the proposal, Department of Urban Development division chief Chien Se-fang (簡瑟芳) said. The amendment would then be reviewed by the Taipei City Council in May, before being promulgated, Chien said. The public housing units would be allocated based on the size of a household, he said. Since Taipei began allowing the registration of same-sex couples in June 2015, the number of couples registering has reached 298, of which 55 are male and 243 are female, city government data showed.
SOCIETY
Young Japanese grateful
A group of Japanese students on Sunday expressed thanks for the aid that Taiwan provided to their country after it was hit by a massive earthquake on March 11, 2011. At a cultural event in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), the students invited the audience to don yukatas — light-weight casual kimonos — and fold paper cranes. The event, dubbed “Japan-Taiwan Bonds of Heart,” featured exhibits on Japanese culture and religions, and included music, singing and dance performances. It was the sixth consecutive year that the group, called the “Thanking Taiwan Activity Commission,” had organized such an event to express the Japanese people’s gratitude to Taiwan for donating more than ￥20 billion (US$175.92 million) in cash and other relief materials to victims of the earthquake and tsunami.
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
Starting next month, people who signed up for the TPass 2.0 program can receive a 15 percent rebate for trips on mid to long-distance freeway buses or on buses headed to the east coast twice every month, the Highway Bureau said. Bureau Director-General Lin Fu-shan (林福山) said the government started TPass 2.0 to offer rebates to frequent riders of public transportation, or people who use city buses, highway buses, trains or MRTs at least 11 times per month. As of Nov. 12, 265,000 people have registered for TPass 2.0, and about 16.56 million trips between February and September qualified for
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
The year 2027 is regarded as the year China would likely gain the capability to invade Taiwan, not the year it would launch an invasion, Taiwanese defense experts said yesterday. The experts made the remarks after President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference on Wednesday that his administration would introduce a NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.8 billion) special defense budget bill to boost Taiwan’s overall defense posture over the next eight years. Lai said that Beijing aims for military unification of Taiwan by 2027. The Presidential Office later clarified that what Lai meant was that China’s goal is to “prepare for military unification
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