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.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
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