CRIME
Ex-councilor sentenced
Former Tainan Council speaker Lai Mei-hui (賴美惠) was handed a two-year jail sentence, suspended for four years, after being found guilty of fraudulently claiming expenses, the Tainan District Court said on Wednesday. The former Democratic Progressive Party city councilor was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service within three years and would be deprived of civil rights for two years, the court said. The ruling can be appealed. While serving as a Tainan councilor from 2010 to 2018, Lai hired her sister-in-law, surnamed Chen (陳), as an assistant to manage her office finances and another woman, surnamed Wu (吳).The three were charged with claiming assistant subsidy fees under the names of Wu’s sister and a friend of Lai’s sister, despite neither of them working as an assistant. From 2012 to 2014, Lai, Chen and Wu stole NT$2.35 million (US$74,435) from the public purse. The money was used to cover office expenses, including cash for red and white envelopes handed out to the public at weddings and funerals, the court said. Lai has surrendered the funds, which have been confiscated, the court added.
SPACE
Lilium-1 releases selfie
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) on Wednesday released two selfies taken by Lilium-1, an university-developed cube satellite. The selfies, the first to be taken by a Taiwanese satellite, showed Lilium-1 passing over Australia facing the sun with its solar panels unfolded. Carried by a SpaceX rocket, Lilium-1 was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California into a low Earth orbit (LEO) of about 520km on Dec. 2 last year, NCKU said in a statement. Lilium-1 was the first satellite to be launched as part of a National Science and Technology Council project that is focused on researching and developing key CubeSat technologies, NCKU said in the statement, adding that a team consisting of personnel from NCKU, National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Technology and Tamkang University, as well as industry professionals, collaborated in the development of Lilium-1. The team would continue to work on developing and launching CubeSats Lilium-2 and Lilium-3, and would explore areas including high-frequency satellite communications, inter-satellite communications and smart remote sensing.
TRADE
Group urges China ties
A trade group on Wednesday urged president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to strengthen communication between Taiwan and China to maintain positive international relations. Lin Por-fong (林伯豐), chairman of the Third Wednesday Club, said that Taiwan should not rely exclusively on Japan and the US, as it also needs to engage in dialogue with China. Constructive communication and exchanges are essential for both sides to resolve their issues, Lin told reporters after holding the trade group’s monthly gathering. “Without the consent of China, Taiwan will find it challenging to go it alone,” Lin said. Joining trade pacts or blocs would also help boost Taiwan’s economy — whether it be the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between Taiwan and China, or proposed membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Lin said. In addition, Lin called on the new government to reassess its energy policies, adding that maintaining stable electricity prices should be a top priority for business operations.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
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