CRIME
Chinese boat, crew detained
Authorities have detained a Chinese fishing vessel and its crew for poaching in Taiwan’s exclusive economic waters, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The Minping (閩平) fishing boat carrying 14 crew, including its captain, was caught trespassing and operating illegally 43 nautical miles (80km) west of the Port of Taichung by a coast guard patrol vessel at 2:12pm on Sunday, the CGA said. The boat ignored orders to stop for inspection and attempted to flee, but was intercepted, it said. Coast guard officers boarded the ship and an inspection found 3 tonnes of fish that were later tossed into the sea. The vessel has been impounded at the Port of Taichung and its crew detained by the CGA, which said the case would be handled in accordance with the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例).
CRIME
Man held for pre-rally threat
A 39-year-old man is being investigated after getting onto Taipei mayoral candidate Chen Shih-chung’s (陳時中) campaign vehicle with a knife and trying to hurt himself before a rally for Chen in the capital, police said on Sunday. The man, surnamed Liu (劉), climbed onto the empty vehicle, took a microphone and tried to speak at 1pm, about 30 minutes before the Democratic Progressive Party candidate’s rally began, the Taipei Police Department said. Liu also tried to hurt himself with the knife while talking, but was soon pepper-sprayed and overpowered by six police officers, the department said. Liu appeared to be mentally unstable, police said, adding that he was hoping to gain attention regarding his “solutions” to US-China issues. Liu is being held and investigated for possession of hazardous items without justifiable reasons, police said.
TOURISM
Miaoli to open railway park
A NT$1 billion (US$31.2 million) railway park in Miaoli County is to open next year, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said on Sunday. Work on an exhibition room and leisure area consisting of restaurants and souvenir shops would be finished by the end of this year, the TRA said. Work on the main attractions of the 19,140m2 park, next to the Miaoli Railway Station, would be finished next year and would include art installations, a museum and a display of more than 10 diesel and electric locomotives, it said. The agency said it hoped the park could one day be as popular as the Railway Museum in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture and spark interest in Taiwan’s railway history and local tourism.
TRAVEL
Tigerair adds Da Nang route
Tigerair Taiwan yesterday said it would launch a route between Taoyuan and Da Nang in central Vietnam on Dec. 24 as part of its efforts to boost its presence in Southeast Asian. The launch of the Taoyuan-Da Nang route marks the carrier’s first foray into the fast-growing Vietnamese market, Tigerair Taiwan said in a statement. It would start by offering round-trip flights every Wednesday and Saturday, it said. Bookings for a special untaxed ticket costing NT$1,299 for a single trip on the route would open at 10am today until 11:59pm tomorrow, for departures between Dec. 24 and March 25, it said. An untaxed NT$1,599 ticket for a one-way trip between Taoyuan and Don Mueang International Airport (Bangkok), and NT$1,099 for a one-way tickets from Taoyuan to Palawan or Boracay in the Philippines are also being offered, it said.
A tropical depression in waters east of the Philippines could develop into a tropical storm as soon as today and bring rainfall as it approaches, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, while issuing heat warnings for 14 cities and counties. Weather model simulations show that there are still considerable differences in the path that the tropical depression is projected to take. It might pass through the Bashi Channel to the South China Sea or turn northeast and move toward the sea south of Japan, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said, adding that the uncertainty of its movement is still high,
TAIWANESE INNOVATION: The ‘Seawool’ fabric generates about NT$200m a year, with the bulk of it sourced by clothing brands operating in Europe and the US Growing up on Taiwan’s west coast where mollusk farming is popular, Eddie Wang saw discarded oyster shells transformed from waste to function — a memory that inspired him to create a unique and environmentally friendly fabric called “Seawool.” Wang remembered that residents of his seaside hometown of Yunlin County used discarded oyster shells that littered the streets during the harvest as insulation for their homes. “They burned the shells and painted the residue on the walls. The houses then became warm in the winter and cool in the summer,” the 42-year-old said at his factory in Tainan. “So I was
THE TOUR: Pope Francis has gone on a 12-day visit to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore. He was also invited to Taiwan The government yesterday welcomed Pope Francis to the Asia-Pacific region and said it would continue extending an invitation for him to visit Taiwan. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the remarks as Pope Francis began a 12-day tour of the Asia-Pacific on Monday. He is to travel about 33,000km by air to visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, and would arrive back in Rome on Friday next week. It would be the longest and most challenging trip of Francis’ 11-year papacy. The 87-year-old has had health issues over the past few years and now uses a wheelchair. The ministry said
Discounted 72-hour Taipei Metro passes are to be offered to China Airlines passengers until Feb. 28 next year, the airline announced today. China Airlines passengers may present their boarding pass for a discount of up to 34 percent when buying a Taipei Metro 72-hour unlimited travel pass. The offer is available to international travelers on international flights bound for Taipei. Within seven days of arrival, travelers can present their boarding pass, passport and proof of flight payment at an EZfly counter in Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport or Taoyuan MRT Taipei Main Station to obtain the discounted passes, the airline said. One 72-hour pass
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