Tseng Sheng-kuang (曾聖光), a Taiwanese volunteer soldier who died in November while fighting for Ukraine, was honored by the Council of Indigenous Peoples at a memorial service in Hualien yesterday.
Tseng was honored with the highest award of the Contribution to Indigenous Peoples for his sacrifice in resisting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as for democracy, freedom and justice, council Minister Icyang Parod said at the ceremony.
Hualien County Commissioner Hsu Chen-wei (徐榛蔚), who also attended the event, expressed her condolences over Tseng’s death, and expressed sympathy for Tseng’s mother and wife given the “pain and loss” they must have felt when collecting Tseng’s ashes in Ukraine.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Hsu said at the ceremony that Tseng’s father-in-law also died in the past few weeks, adding to the family’s sadness.
She said that as a mother, she hoped there would be no more unnecessary sacrifices in the war, and wished that the family finds peace of mind.
Tseng, 25, was an Indigenous Amis from Hualien County. He joined the International Legion of Ukraine’s territorial defense forces and died in battle in Lyman, part of the contested Luhansk region, making him the first Taiwanese volunteer soldier to die in the Ukraine war.
Tseng had served in the Republic of China Army from 2017 to last year.
Tseng’s family went to Ukraine last month to identify his body and deal with matters related to his death. A ceremony was held in Kyiv in his honor.
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
RSS