SOCIETY
Campers rescued in Yilan
Sixty-six campers who were trapped by a flooded river in Cingshuei Geothermal Park (清水地熱公園) in Yilan County’s Datong Township (大同) were rescued yesterday, the Yilan County Fire Bureau said. The bureau at 8:44am received a call for help from a group of 43 people camping near the Cingshuei River (清水溪) who were trapped by rising water after days of heavy rain. Rescuers responding to the call found another group of 23 people trapped nearby, and helped them leave by foot at about 1pm, it said. The bureau said it had asked the first group to move to higher ground to wait for the water to recede, but fearing more rain in the evening, it used two excavators to move the campers between 3:12pm and 6:22pm. The region received 300mm of rainfall between midnight Saturday and 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said.
TOURISM
Thailand extends waiver
Taiwanese and others permitted to enter Thailand visa-free or with a visa on arrival are from next month allowed to stay 30 days or more in the country under a proposal approved by the Thai government last week. The proposal is aimed at expediting Thailand’s economic recovery, as it eases COVID-19 pandemic controls, the Thai Cabinet said. When the new policy takes effect on Saturday, visitors from 18 countries and territories, including Taiwan, would be able to remain in Thailand for up to 30 days, as those places have visa-free or visa-on-arrival status for stays of up to 15 days, it said. Tourists from another 56 countries who are allowed visa-free entry for up to 30 days would be allowed to stay for up to 45 days, it said, adding that the new policy would be valid until the end of March next year.
TRADE
Apples seized at border
Customs officials seized seven separate shipments of fresh apples from Chile at the border after they were found to contain a banned pesticide, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last week. The shipments totaling 138,915kg were imported by three companies, and the fruit was confiscated after sample testing on Aug. 18 detected traces of 2,6-diisopropylnaphthalene in concentrations of 0.01 parts per million (ppm) to 0.11ppm, it said. The pesticide cannot be used on any agricultural produce other than potatoes, and even then, the maximum limit is 1ppm, the agency said. Other items recently rejected and destroyed or returned include 64kg of dried bay leaves from Indonesia, 22,500kg of black soybeans from China and 10kg of fresh tomatoes from South Korea, it added.
SOCIETY
Worker crushed by truck
A worker was killed on Saturday after being crushed by a dump truck in Taichung, police said. Taichung Fire Bureau rescuers found the Thai worker dead at the scene, they said. The incident occurred when a road crew was repaving Huiyang Street in Fengyuan District (豐原). A gravel truck loaded with broken-up pavement moved in reverse and crushed the worker, who an eyewitness said was looking down at a metal detector and did not see the truck. The driver, surnamed Huang (黃), said he did not see the worker when he was backing up, local media reports said. Huang was referred by the police to the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office on suspicion of negligent manslaughter.
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
CASE: Prosecutors have requested heavy sentences, citing a lack of remorse and the defendants’ role in ‘undermining the country’s democratic foundations’ Five people affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), including senior staff from the party’s Taipei branch, were indicted yesterday for allegedly forging thousands of signatures to recall two Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. Those indicted include KMT Taipei chapter director Huang Lu Chin-ru (黃呂錦茹), secretary-general Chu Wen-ching (初文卿) and secretary Yao Fu-wen (姚富文), the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a news release. Prosecutors said the three were responsible for fabricating 5,211 signature forms — 2,537 related to the recall of DPP Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) and 2,674 for DPP Legislator Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) — with forged entries accounting for
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