WEATHER
Taipei warns of mudslides
The Taipei Disaster Prevention and Rescue Office yesterday urged people to avoid mountainous areas and areas near bodies of water over the weekend. After heavy rains in the past week, the soil on Yangmingshan (陽明山) is saturated, which could cause mudslides, the office said, adding that two small mudslides had been recorded in Nangang District’s (南港) Jioujhuang (舊庄) area. The office said that Tropical Depression 26 is forecast to cross the Bashi Channel, potentially affecting the weather in Taipei today and tomorrow. The office said Taipei City Government workers are inspecting disaster prevention facilities.
POLITICS
Probe of candidate urged
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators yesterday filed a request with the Control Yuan to investigate a personal assets declaration submitted by independent Miaoli County commissioner candidate Chung Tung-chin (鍾東錦). Chung, who is Miaoli County Council speaker, had his membership in the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) revoked after registering independently last month. The request, filed by DPP lawmakers Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) and Shen Fa-hui (沈發惠), says that Chung might have concealed some of his investments and falsified information in contravention of the Act on Property Declaration by Public Servants (公職人員財產申報法). “Chung holds many properties... How much more has he kept in the dark?” Hung said. DPP officials have presented documents that they say show that Chung owns 159 properties.
POLITICS
Plagiarism claims dismissed
Chung Hua University on Thursday dismissed a plagiarism allegation against Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Hsinchu mayoral candidate Lin Ken-jeng (林耕仁). A review committee concluded that Lin did not plagiarize his 2005 master’s thesis, but found “flaws” in the thesis, the university said in a statement. Lin was last month accused by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers of copying the work of a man surnamed Tai (戴), who submitted his thesis at the university in 2004. The committee crossed-checked the two theses, concluding that the “allegation was not substantiated,” it said. However, it found that some subtitles in Lin’s thesis were identical to those in Tai’s thesis, it said. These were “flaws” that could have been avoided if Lin had had a serious attitude toward his academic work, it added. Lin was also accused of plagiarizing his second master’s thesis from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. The university established a committee to review the 2011 thesis early last month and said a result was expected within 120 days.
DIPLOMACY
German delegation to arrive
Members of the German Bundestag’s Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid are to visit Taiwan from tomorrow to Wednesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. The six-member delegation led by German lawmaker Peter Heidt would be the second group of Bundestag members to visit Taiwan this month, it said. They are scheduled to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) and ministers without portfolio Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) and Huang Chih-ta (黃致達), it said. They would also meet with National Human Rights Commission Chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊) and visit the National Human Rights Museum, it said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
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