SOCIETY
Half of Vietnamese found
Half of the 148 Vietnamese who left their tour groups after arriving last month have been located, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, 74 of the travelers, who disappeared after arriving in four tour groups on Dec. 21 and Dec. 23, had been found and were being held in detention centers, the agency said in a statement. It urged the remaining travelers to report to the authorities. The agency offers a NT$4,000 (US$130) reward to people who provide information that leads to the arrest of foreigners who stay in Taiwan illegally from countries covered by the “Kuan Hung Pilot Project.” Six of the missing Vietnamese were located through tip-offs, it said. Agency Director-General Chiu Feng-kuang (邱豐光) urged people not to employ or provide shelter to the travelers.
DIPLOMACY
Virgin Islands deal signed
Taiwan has signed a reciprocal driver’s license agreement with the US Virgin Islands, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Miami said on Thursday. The agreement, signed in Saint Thomas by the office and the Virgin Islands Bureau of Motor Vehicles, allows drivers with licenses from Taiwan and the Virgin Islands to apply for a license the other territory without having to take a road test. The arrangement would make life easier for Taiwanese license holders in the US territory and vice versa, Miami office Director-General David Chien (錢冠州) said. US Virgin Islands Governor Albert Bryan, who attended the signing ceremony, said that he hoped the agreement would attract more Taiwanese to the territory and promote local economic development.
SOCIETY
Chabad addresses Nazi flag
The Chabad Taipei Jewish Center on Thursday expressed regret over a case in Taipei’s Wanhua District (萬華) in which a betel nut store was found to have displayed a Nazi flag. “We call on the Wanhua store owners who display the Nazi flag to understand that even if no ill will is intended, their display of the Nazi flag is an extraordinarily disrespectful act toward the Jewish victims of the Nazis and toward human rights in general,” the center said in a statement. However, it said it rejects stereotyping of Taiwanese, saying: “Taiwan is generally accepting of and open to different cultures and religions.” The center believes “communication, understanding and acceptance are the basis for cross cultural understanding,” the statement said. “We hope that we can all respect our differences while working together to safeguard Taiwan’s democracy and freedoms,” it said.
CRIME
Chinese fishing boat fined
A Chinese fishing boat on Thursday was ordered to leave and pay a fine of NT$1.6 million after attempting to fish in Taiwanese waters, the Coast Guard Administration said yesterday. The ship on Dec. 3 was spotted preparing to fish 25 nautical miles (46.3km) off the coast of Hsinchu before being seized by coast guard officers, it said in a statement. No fish were found on the boat, but Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine personnel disinfected the boat after discovering 4.8kg of pork in a freezer on board the vessel, it said. Following a 40-day investigation, it was ruled that the boat should pay a fine for trying to poach in Taiwan in line with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) before leaving the nation, the agency said. Coast guard vessels on Thursday escorted it out of Taiwan’s waters, it added.
Travel agencies in Taiwan are working to secure alternative flights for travelers bound for New Zealand for the Lunar New Year holiday, as Air New Zealand workers are set to strike next week. The airline said that it has confirmed that the planned industrial action by its international wide-body cabin crew would go ahead on Thursday and Friday next week. While the Auckland-based carrier pledged to take reasonable measures to mitigate the impact of the workers’ strike, an Air New Zealand flight arriving at Taipei from Auckland on Thursday and another flight departing from Taipei for Auckland on Saturday would have to
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
The Taipei City Government yesterday confirmed that it has negotiated a royalties of NT$12.2 billion (US$380 million) with artificial intelligence (AI) chip giant Nvidia Corp, with the earliest possible signing date set for Wednesday next week. The city has been preparing for Nvidia to build its Taiwan headquarters in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park since last year, and the project has now entered its final stage before the contract is signed. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the city government has completed the royalty price negotiations and would now push through the remaining procedures to sign the contract before
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