MILITARY
Mirage flights resume
Taiwan’s Mirage 2000 fighters returned to normal flying operations early yesterday after being grounded for safety checks following a crash earlier this month, a military source said. Flight operations resumed when a twin-seater Mirage 2000 copiloted by Major General Pan Tung-chu (潘東櫸), the leader of the Hsinchu-based Second Tactical Fighter Wing, took to the air yesterday morning, the source said. Another pilot was seen in the plane with Pan in an air force photo, but no further details were provided. The resumption of normal flight operations came after the air force lifted the grounding order for all of Taiwan’s 50-plus Mirage 2000s following the completion of a round of safety checks in the wake of an incident on Sept. 10. Preliminary indications were that one of the crashed fighter’s engines had lost thrust, the air force said. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.
SOCIETY
Fire drill in Kaohsiung
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency on Monday advised people in Kaohsiung not to panic if they receive a forest fire drill text warning on their phones on Friday. A message reading: “Forest Fire Alert Drill. Please don’t panic” would be delivered through the Public Warning Cell Broadcast Service between 2:30pm and 3:30pm to devices in Tianliao (田寮) and Cishan (旗山) districts, the agency said. The drill is part of the agency’s efforts to help raise awareness of forest fires in higher-risk areas in central and southern Taiwan, particularly during next month’s dry season, the agency added. From 2019 to last year, Taiwan reported an average of 53.4 forest fires each year, 97 percent of which were caused by human factors, the agency said. Under Article 34 of the Forestry Act (森林法), the lighting of fires in forest areas or forest reserves is strictly prohibited unless prior approval is received from the authorities. Violators face a prison sentence of three to 10 years as well as a fine of up to NT$600,000 (US$18,770).
FOOD SAFETY
KFC seasoning stopped
A shipment of chicken seasoning imported from Thailand for Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) was found to contain a banned pesticide and stopped by officials from entering Taiwan. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday published a list of 11 items that were found to be substandard after being inspected at the border over the past few months. Among them was a shipment of 2,024.42kg of chicken seasoning from Thailand in which 0.1mg/kg of the banned pesticide ethylene oxide was found during testing that began on July 22, the FDA said. FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said the importer of the spices, Jardine Food Services (Taiwan) Co (富利食品), which operates KFC and Pizza Hut in Taiwan, is to be subject to batch-by-batch inspections of its imported ingredients. The products imported by Jardine were previously under a heightened inspection rate of 50 percent, up from the customary 20 percent, Lin said. Condiments and spices imported from Thailand by other companies would also continue to be inspected at the higher rate until the end of the year, Lin said. The other items on yesterday’s list were tested from July 2 to Sept. 6. Among them was a shipment of 1,312.5kg of banana chips imported from the Philippines that was found to contain excessive amounts of the toxic substance benzopyrene and prohibited from entering Taiwan.
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