CRIME
Suspect commits suicide
The Kinmen County Police Department yesterday said a suspect in a robbery and kidnapping case had committed suicide. The suspect, surnamed Chen (陳), was wanted in connection to a robbery and kidnapping involving Kincheng Township (金城) representative council head Chen Tien-cheng (陳天成), police said. The suspect was found in Kinning Township (金寧) but refused to open the door when arrived. Officers said they heard a gunshot from inside the residence. Chen was taken to hospital, but the doctors pronounced him dead at 1:43pm yesterday. Police have already arrested two other suspects in connection with the case and two others are still at large.
Photo: Taipei Times
CRIME
Police uncover 4kg of drugs
Taitung County authorities have seized about 4kg of amphetamine, the largest haul of illegal drugs in 10 years in the county, Taitung police said on Thursday. Four people were arrested during a raid in May last year on suspicion of drug possession, Taitung County Police Bureau’s Criminal Investigation deputy head Yu Cheng-ting (尤正廷) said. Although only 166.9g of amphetamines were seized in May, one suspect, surnamed Lin (林), said the remaining about 3kg had been sold. Prosecutor Teng Ting-chiang (鄧定強) said he was highly skeptical of Lin’s claim and asked the Taitung police to continue their investigation. After more than a year, Taitung and Taichung police finally found the stash in a Taichung neighborhood, where Lin rented a house, as well as a modified gun with three bullets, Yu said.
Transport
THSRC offers free rides
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) on Friday announced that it has expanded its partnership with EVA Air Corp to offer a free shuttle service to the high-speed railway station in Taoyuan. Travelers flying to Europe, Australia, New Zealand or North America on EVA Air and commuting on the high-speed rail from southern Taiwan will be eligible for a free return ticket to Taoyuan, the company said. The deal is reserved for passengers commuting from Kaohsiung, Tainan and Chiayi to Taoyuan and flying with EVA Air or China Airlines, which last month partnered with THSRC. EVA Air, UNI Airways Corp, China Airlines, Mandarin Airlines and China Eastern Airlines passengers can get a 20 percent discount on high-speed rail tickets, THSRC said.
GEOPOLITICS
Stephen Young slams China
Former American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) director Stephen Young on Friday said Beijing has made a mistake by not reaching out to Taiwan. China’s attempt to bully President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) demonstrates a lack of foresight, Young said at a news conference after a Taiwan-US relations forum in Taipei. He said Tsai has many domestic challenges to face and will not change her focus because of Beijing. Beijing’s approach toward Taiwan and Hong Kong only make Taiwanese think that China is not trustworthy, he said. China’s proposed “one country, two systems” model for unification with Taiwan has been unsuccessful in Hong Kong, making it hard to win the trust of Taiwanese, Young said.
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard
GLOBAL: The slogan would be advertised in popular tourist destinations in North America and Europe, such as Champs-Elysees and Times Square, the agency said “Taiwan: Waves of Wonder” is to be the country’s new tourism slogan for the next 10 years, the Tourism Administration said yesterday, adding that it would be showcased in commercials at the Olympic Games in Paris and other major cities and travel fairs around the world. The new slogan, logo and theme song, which were unveiled at a news conference in Taipei, marked the agency’s latest effort to attract 10 million international visitors to Taiwan this year, a goal that it readjusted earlier this year, as China has yet to lift its travel ban to Taiwan. The administration created the “Taiwan: Touch
BOOST TO SPORTS? The Executive Yuan said that the amendment was introduced to attract professionals to Taiwan, and increase the incentives for naturalization The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed on third reading an amendment to the Nationality Act (國籍法) that would reduce the minimum residency period required for highly skilled professionals to apply for naturalization from three to two continuous years, with a minimum of 183 days in Taiwan each year. The 183-day requirement does not apply if an eligible applicant has lived legally in the territory of the Republic of China for more than five continuous years. Taiwan’s professional basketball leagues are expected to benefit from the amendments, which would allow them to recruit more players from overseas. Prior to the passage of the amendment, the