SOCIETY
Sinkhole prompts evacuation
Ten people who were placed in a hotel after a large sinkhole appeared in front of their homes in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) on Saturday might need to wait up to two weeks before they are allowed to return, the Taipei City Government said yesterday. A small sinkhole appeared on Chongde Street (崇德街) at about 2:50pm on Saturday, believed to have been caused by nearby construction work. However, the sinkhole grew to 15m long and 3m wide, with a depth of 3m, and became larger at about 5:20pm, the city government said. The incident led to the evacuation of 16 households living nearby due to safety concerns, although no injuries were reported, it said. The sinkhole has been filled, but several safety conditions must be met before the evacuated residents of five affected households are permitted to return home, Department of Urban Development head Wang Yu-fen (王玉芬) said. Xinyi District Administrator Chen Kuan-ling (陳冠伶) said that each evacuated resident would receive an emergency resettlement subsidy of NT$1,600 per day from the city government for up to seven days. Any additional costs would be paid by the construction firm, Chen said.
TRAVEL
Airport handles 10m trips
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport had by Tuesday handled 10 million passenger trips so far this year, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. The airport expects to handle 28 million passenger trips this year, which would be 58 percent of the 2019 level before the COVID-19 pandemic, company chairman Yang Wei-fuu (楊偉甫) said in a statement. Transport capacity at the airport grew 68.6 percent from an average of 21,000 passengers a day on Oct. 13 last year, when Taiwan reopened its borders and eased virus restrictions, to a daily average of 91,000 last month, he said. By the end of last month, the percentage of airport shops operating had also reached 79 percent of the 2019 level, he added.
AVIATION
EVA Airways wins five stars
EVA Airways Corp has been certified by airline-ranking company Skytrax as a five-star airline for the eighth consecutive year, making it the only carrier in Taiwan to win the honor, the airline announced on Thursday. Only 10 airlines received a five-star rating from Skytrax this year, EVA Airways said in a statement. The decision to award the eighth consecutive five-star rating to the carrier represents Skytrax’s recognition of the consistently superb service provided by its staff, company president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said in a statement, adding that such awards motivate EVA Airways to continue improving its services to make passenger flights more comfortable. The other nine airlines to receive the five-star honor for this year were Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.
HEALTH
Premier tests positive
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) canceled a planned public appearance yesterday after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday evening, acting Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said. Chen took a COVID-19 test after experiencing a cough and throat discomfort, Lo said, adding that his doctor has advised him to rest at home. Chen can report to work as usual by wearing a mask after his respiratory symptoms relieve, Lo quoted the doctor as saying.
‘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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