SOCIETY
Chiang Pin-kung in hospital
Former Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) was hospitalized on Saturday evening at Mackay Memorial Hospital after collapsing at dinner at a Regent Taipei restaurant. The Chinese-language Apple Daily said Chang was rushed to the hospital, which is just up the street from the hotel, at about 8:30pm. Chiang regained consciousness after being taken to the hospital, but remains in intensive care. As of press time last night, Mackay refused to provide any information on Chang, citing patient’s privacy. Chiang, 85, a former minister of economic affairs and deputy legislative speaker, became head of the Straits Economic & Cultural Interchange Association after leaving the SEF.
WATER
Supply cuts for Kaohsiung
Supplies to some areas of Kaohsiung will be suspended for 46 hours starting at 2am on Wednesday to allow for maintenance of pipelines and water treatment plants, Taiwan Water Corp said on Saturday. The areas include Zuoying (左營), Ciaotou (橋頭), Zihguan (梓官), Mituo (彌陀), Dashe (大社), Nanzih (楠梓) and Renwu (仁武) districts, as well as part of Gushan (鼓山) and Niaosong (鳥松) districts, the state-owned utility said. About 98,770 households in those areas will be affected, it said, urging residents store water ahead of the cutoffs.
SOCIETY
Indonesian migrant honored
Minister of the Interior Minister Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) yesterday honored Indonesian Muksin, a migrant fisher whose fundraising helped establish An-Nur Tongkang Mosque (東港清真寺) this year, the first mosque in Pingtung County. At celebrations in Taichung to mark International Migrants Day, Hsu paid tribute to Muksin, who has been employed on Donggang Township (東港)-based boats since 1999. Muksin wanted to establish a mosque in Donggang for his compatriots who are based there, Hsu said. The number of foreign spouses nationwide has surpassed 540,000, with Chinese accounting for about 66 percent, while those from Southeast Asian nations total more than 150,000, he said. “We are extremely thankful for these new immigrants who have joined us to become Taiwanese,” Hsu said. “They are bringing new energy and rejuvenating the country.”
EARTHQUAKE
South rocked by temblor
A magnitude 4.1 quake jolted Yunlin County at 0:07am yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said. The quake was centered 21.2km east-southeast of Gukeng Township (古坑) and hit at a depth of 14.6km, it said. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Gukeng, where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier scale. An intensity of 3 was recorded in several central and southern areas, including Sinyi (信義) and Mingjian (名間) townships in Nantou County, Yulin’s Douliou Township (斗六), Chiayi County’s Fanlu Township (番路), Chiayi City and Changhua.
WEATHER
Cold weather on the way
A strong wave of cold air from the north is forecast to arrive tomorrow night, sending the mercury in northern Taiwan down to 15°C on Wednesday, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday. The cold air mass is likely to blanket the northern part of Taiwan until Saturday, forecaster Hsu Chung-yi (徐仲毅) said. The weather should start to warm up on Friday, before another cold front arrives on Sunday, he said.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
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