CRIME
Lucifer Chu gets 14 months
The Taipei District Court yesterday sentenced media personality Lucifer Chu (朱學恒) to 14 months in prison for indecent assault of a city councilor. Chu was indicted in October last year after being accused of groping and forcibly kissing Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-chun (鍾沛君) twice at a Taipei restaurant on Aug. 6, 2022. In June last year, Chung went public with the allegations to be “a fighter rather than a victim.” At Chung’s request and with her attorney present, Chu signed a letter a few days later, apologizing to Chung and promising to stay away from her. However, the letter made no mention of the assault, Chung said. She subsequently filed a complaint against Chu, who she said had shown “no remorse for his behavior.” Chu yesterday expressed regret over the ruling. Saying he had not been given a fair trial to uncover the truth, Chu pledged to appeal as he proclaimed his innocence.
TRANSPORTATION
Danhai line plan revised
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications on Thursday approved a revised plan for the second phase of the light rail network in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), which is to be submitted to the Executive Yuan for approval, the New Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems said. Construction of the second phase of the Danhai light rail Blue Sea Line is set to be completed within five years of the Cabinet approving the project, the department said. The first phase of the Blue Sea light rail opened in November 2020, and the original plan for the second phase, which is to link Tamsui MRT station with Tamsui Fisherman’s Wharf (淡水漁人碼頭), initially included a section that ran through Tamsui Old Street, department head Lee Cheng-an (李政安) said. However, after taking into account the opinions of residents, the department modified the route and submitted the amended plan to the ministry on Oct. 30, 2020, Lee said, adding that the new plan includes changes to the light rail line to be built alongside the Tamsui River (淡水河). The line is to have six stations once it has been built and extend the operating route of the Danhai light rail to 6.6km, Lee said. It is also expected to link with the proposed Bali light rail line in future, he said.
CRIME
Quincy Davis gets jail time
The Taoyuan District Court on Thursday sentenced US-born Taiwanese basketball player Quincy Davis to 30 days in prison over an altercation with his ex-wife last year. The sentence, which can be commuted to a fine, was imposed because Davis repeatedly denied any wrongdoing during the trial, the court said. Disputes of any kind should be handled rationally, the court said in its ruling, adding that those involved should never resort to physical violence. Davis failed to exercise self-control or respect another person’s physical safety, the ruling said, which can still be appealed. Davis was arrested after an alleged fight with his ex-wife in front of Chingpu Police Station in Taoyuan’s Jhongli District (中壢) in May last year. The arrest came after it was found that his ex-wife had previously obtained a restraining order against him. At the time, the police did not reveal the details of the altercation, but local media reports said the argument between the two had escalated into “pushing and shoving.” Davis was later released on bail of NT$100,000 after questioning, and was ordered to comply with the restraining order against him.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
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