CRIME
Gold factories raided
Two factories allegedly dumped toxic waste from gold refining operations in mountainous areas, the New Taipei City Government said on Tuesday, adding that authorities seized about NT$70 million (US$2.2 million) of half-finished gold products. The New Taipei City Environmental Protection Department earlier this year said it received a tip-off alleging that a factory in a mountainous area of Linkou District (林口) had used nitric acid to extract gold from waste materials such as printed circuit boards and dental crowns. After the refining, the factory dumped the toxic nitric acid waste, the department said. The waste contained heavy metals such as copper, nickel and chromium, and plants withered where it was dumped, it said. The department, police and prosecutors formed a task force led by the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office, it said. The investigation found that a factory in Hsinchu County’s Sinpu Township (新埔) had also allegedly released toxic waste. The task force searched the Sinpu factory on June 4 and the New Taipei City site on Sept. 3. The June 4 raid showed that toxic waste was being released into a mountainous area, the department said. Four people were arrested, it said.
POLITICS
Students discuss democracy
A US non-governmental organization in Taipei on Tuesday hosted a forum for young people, at which dozens of students shared their observations of Taiwan’s democratic system. The Polarization and Reconciliation: Youth Forum on Democratic Resilience was organized by the International Republican Institute in cooperation with the Central News Agency (CNA). The participants, most of whom were undergraduate or postgraduate students, exchanged views on events that have divided Taiwanese society, such as the recent passage of amendments to government oversight laws and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019. The future of the amendments, pushed through by opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers at the end of May despite the disagreements of Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers, now hinge on a ruling by the Constitutional Court. Those events and the reaction to them reflected the polarization of Taiwan’s politics and society, which CNA editor-in-chief Chris Wang (王思捷) attributed in part to the effects of “politainment.” Politicians are increasingly using dramatic methods to communicate their agendas or undermine their rivals, which the media amplify through extensive coverage, Wang said. Tuesday’s event was part of the Washington-based International Republican Institute’s program to foster discussion on democracy among young people in Taiwan, said Loa Lok-sin (賴昱伸), a program manager at the institute’s Taiwan office.
CRIME
Taiwanese arrested in Seoul
A Taiwanese woman has been arrested in South Korea and faces extradition to China for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a Chinese and an American in the Philippines in June. The Criminal Investigation Bureau on Tuesday said that the suspect, identified by her surname, Chen (陳), is a 44-year-old Taiwanese who was born in Taipei. Chinese media firm Red Star News on Monday reported that Chen — initially referred to as Lee Na (李娜) — would be extradited to China after being arrested in Seoul. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would assist in handling matters related to the extradition case, the bureau said.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
Typhoon Krathon, a military airshow and rehearsals for Double Ten National Day celebrations might disrupt flights at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport in the first 10 days of next month, the airport’s operator said yesterday. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a statement that it has established a response center after the Central Weather Administration issued a sea warning for Krathon, and urged passengers to remain alert to the possibility of disruptions caused by the storm in the coming days. Flight schedules might also change while the air force conducts rehearsals and holds a final airshow for Double Ten National Day, it added. Although
SEMICONDUCTORS: TSMC is able to produce 2-nanometer chips and mass production is expected to be launched by next year, the company said In leading-edge semiconductor manufacturing China is behind Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) by at least 10 years as the Taiwanese chipmaker’s manufacturing process has progressed to 2 nanometers, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said yesterday. Wu made the remarks during a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee when asked by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) about a report published in August by the Chinese version of Nikkei Asia that said Taiwan’s lead over China in chip manufacturing was only three years. She asked Wu Cheng-wen if the report was an accurate
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
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