CULTURAL HERITAGE
Firm files over bunkers
A renewable energy firm building a solar farm in Pingtung County’s Fangliao Township (枋寮) has requested that the county protect World War II-era bunkers on the construction site as cultural heritage. Shengli Energy in September last year uncovered Japanese bunkers while preparing the ground for the solar farm. The bunkers were connected to a larger system of fortifications built toward the end of 1945 by the Japanese military to shield Taiwan from an Allied invasion that never came. Last month, the county rejected a filing by conservationists to list the bunkers as a heritage site on a technicality, but without contesting that the fortification might have cultural value. Shengli Energy is renewing the historical heritage filing for two pillboxes, an observation post and connecting tunnels inside the project area, firm spokeswoman Chang Shu-wen (張淑雯) said. However, the discovery has fueled local opposition to the project. Opponents to the project said that they are also concerned that trees are being cut down to make room for the solar panels, which could make the area more vulnerable to landslides. Lin Yang-chu (林洋助), director of the county’s cultural heritage office, said that the agency has opened bids for experts to evaluate the fortifications’ cultural value and advise the county on their preservation.
HEALTH
Crack down on teen vapers
People under the age of 18 will not be permitted to buy or smoke electronic cigarettes in New Taipei City when a new ordinance takes effect early next month, the city government said yesterday. The ordinance on e-cigarettes was passed by the New Taipei City Council on April 29 and is expected to take effect on Aug. 6, two days after it is to be promulgated, the city said. When it takes effect, vapers under the age of 18 would be required to enroll in a program to help them quit smoking if they caught carrying or smoking e-cigarettes in New Taipei City, the city’s Department of Health said in a statement. Offenders who skip the programs without a valid reason would face fines of up to NT$10,000 (US$357), the department said, adding that individuals or businesses found selling e-cigarettes or other vaping devices to people under the age of 18 would risk a fine of up to NT$100,000.
AGRICULTURE
Garlic price riseo censured
The Control Yuan on Wednesday censured the Council of Agriculture for a spike in garlic prices from July to September last year. Control Yuan member Chen Chin-jun (陳景峻) conducted the investigation that led to the censure, the Control Yuan said in a news release. Early last year, the wholesale price of garlic was NT$170 per kilogram, but then its price skyrocketed to as much as NT$400 per kilogram in some locations, it said, citing Chen’s report. The price hike occurred after large shipments of imported garlic were rejected for being contaminated, but the council’s failure to react to warnings on multiple occasions compounded supply shortages, the report said. Local farmers’ cooperatives discovered the contamination, which had slipped through customs, it said. The Bureau of Animal and Plant Health Inspection and Quarantine failed to share the information with the council’s Agriculture and Food Agency, it said. Prices of garlic steadily rose in subsequent months, but the council’s inactivity continued until Aug. 6, it said. The council did not carry out its duty to protect consumers, it added.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it