Sat, Jan 12, 2019 page4

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with CNA
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  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.
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