GOVERNMENT
VP discharged after surgery
Vice President William Lai (賴清德) was yesterday discharged from Taipei Veterans General Hospital after undergoing surgery for a herniated disk on Sunday, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said. After seeking medical attention for acute lower back pain, Lai was found to have herniated disks in his spine, requiring an hour-long microsurgery, Chang said, adding that Lai expressed thanks to hospital staff and to the public for messages of support. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) wished him a speedy recovery.
PARKS
Plaque vandalism probed
A hiker could face a fine and be banned from climbing mountains in Hualien County’s Taroko National Park after he was seen holding an uprooted plaque marking the north peak of Chilai Mountain (奇萊山). On Sunday, images of the hiker appeared on social media showing him waving his middle finger at the camera and holding the plaque aloft after apparently ripping it out of the ground. If found liable for the damage, he could be ordered to pay compensation, fined NT$3,000 and banned from receiving hiking permits for the park’s mountains, park recreation director Nieh Shih-chao (聶士詔) said. The case has been referred to the National Park Police for investigation, Nieh said. The suspect denied that he caused the damage, saying that he had found the marker lying on the ground and wanted to take a photograph with it.
HOSPITALITY
Latte artist awarded
Barista Lin Shao-sing (林紹興) won third place in the latte art competition of the Milan World Coffee Championships, which concluded on Saturday in Milan, Italy. Lin placed third after three rounds of competition, starting with baristas making latte art. Lin and 11 others reached the semi-final, where they each made one matching set of free-pour macchiatos and two matching sets of free-pour latte patterns. Lin and five others advanced to the final, where they were judged on creativity, visual attributes, contrast in patterns, and in forming identical patterns in the matched sets of free-pour lattes and matched set of designer lattes. Lin placed behind South Korean barista Rora and the event’s champion, Carmen Clemente of Italy.
CRIME
Fraud nets jail term
A founder of the Taiwan Civil Government, which claims the nation is legally under US jurisdiction based on the terms of Japan’s surrender at the end of World War II, was on Friday sentenced to 19 years in prison and fined NT$2 million (US$67,540) for defrauding NT$100 million from about 300 people. Julian Lin (林梓安), secretary-general of the group, was sentenced by the Taoyuan District Court after she was convicted of profiting through fraud and money laundering. Taoyuan prosecutors began investigating the group in 2018 after receiving complaints of fraud. In 2018, prosecutors indicted six suspects for alleged contraventions of the Organized Crime Prevention Act (組織犯罪防制條例) and Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法). Lin’s husband, Roger Lin (林志昇), was also charged before he died in a fall at his home in 2019. Three others received sentences ranging from 10 months to 2.5 years, and fines ranging from NT$100,000 to NT$400,000. One other person was not found guilty. The rulings can be appealed.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
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