POLITICS
KMT campaign sues
The campaign office of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜), and his running mate, Broadcasting Corp of China (BCC) chairman Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康), yesterday filed criminal complaints accusing former KMT legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), political pundit Mao Chia-ching (毛嘉慶) and the production team of the “Bit King Real Taiwan’s True Politics” YouTube channel of libel and spreading election rumors with an intent to affect electoral outcomes. During a talk show that aired online on Thursday last week, Chiu and Mao falsely claimed that Hou and Jaw respectively made deals with organized crime groups and profited from BCC’s sale, Hou’s campaign spokesman, Lu Chia-kai (呂家愷), said as he filed the complaint at the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. The video harmed Hou’s and Chou’s reputations, and had a measurable impact on the campaign, Lu said. Chiu and Mao filed a counter-complaint against the KMT presidential ticket, saying that they had made false accusations. “The KMT is attacking me with an army of lawyers, but I have truth on my side,” Chiu said.
MILITARY
Rockets no threat: military
Rockets used by China to send satellites into space on two consecutive days posed no threat to Taiwan, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday and yesterday. The ministry detected satellite launches from China’s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at noon on Monday and yesterday morning, it said. Both rockets traveled toward the Indian Ocean, posing no danger to Taiwan, it said in separate brief statements following the launches. The armed forces were alerted and monitored the rockets’ paths, it added.
MILITARY
Drone site inaugurated
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday attended a groundbreaking ceremony for an aerospace and drone facility in Chiayi County, with the site expected to boost the nation’s asymmetric combat power. Drones would be mass-produced at the facility, boosting military drone development and making Chiayi County one of the most strategically important drone production sites in Asia, Tsai said. Complex and volatile international situations make drone development essential, she said, adding that the Ministry of National Defense is seeking to boost domestic production. The first stage of construction covers 5 hectares and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology said, adding that the subsequent stages would be based on national defense missions that arise.
GOVERNMENT
Data office unveiled
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) yesterday attended a ceremony to unveil the Personal Information Protection Committee Preparatory Office. The office is being established in accordance with the Constitutional Court’s verdict in August that government protection of personal data was insufficient and that it should establish an independent oversight agency, Chen said. The committee would be the nation’s first step toward implementing the “national human rights movement” policy and is in line with the urgent need to protect personal data in the digital age, he said. The office should hasten efforts to prepare the committee to grant constitutionally granted rights for the privacy of personal information, and establish a foundation for the country’s digital platform for commerce and trade, he said.
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
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