JUDICIAL YUAN
Acting president named
Justice Shieh Ming-yan (謝銘洋) has been appointed acting president of the Judicial Yuan amid bottlenecks in the legislature’s confirmation process of new justices, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said. President William Lai (賴清德) named Shieh, who has been a justice since 2019, the provisional head of the top judicial branch in accordance with the Judicial Yuan Organization Act (司法院組織法), Kuo said on Friday. Shieh’s appointment came a day after seven justices, including Judicial Yuan President Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) and his deputy Tsai Jeong-duen (蔡炯墩) stepped down on Thursday after completing their eight-year terms. Kuo urged the legislature to begin the confirmation process of the seven justice candidates appointed by Lai on Aug. 30, saying their taking office would enable “the normal operations of the Judicial Yuan.” Lai selected National Taiwan University law professor Chang Wen-chen (張文貞) and former lawmaker Yao Li-ming (姚立明) to replace Hsu and Tsai respectively, along with five other justice candidates, but these nominations still await legislative approval. Shieh, 67, is one of the eight remaining justices at the Judicial Yuan whose primary responsibility is to preside over Constitutional Court cases.
PHILIPPINES
US$150,000 donated
Taiwan on Thursday donated US$150,000 to the Philippines to help those affected by Tropical Storm Trami. Representative to the Philippines Wallace Chow (周民淦) announced the donation at a ceremony at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines, where Philippine Representative to Taiwan Cheloy E. Velicaria-Garafil accepted the donation on behalf of the Philippine government. The move followed Taiwan’s donation of 500 tonnes of rice on Tuesday to the Philippines in the aftermath of the storm, which left at least 139 people dead and 21 unaccounted for, and caused economic damage of more than 4 billion pesos (US$68.53 million). Velicaria-Garafil thanked Taiwan for the donation and said that the help was was especially moving as it came about the same time as Typhoon Kong-rey swept across Taiwan. The Manila Economic and Cultural Office would transfer the donation to the Department of Social Welfare and Development for use as disaster relief, she said. Taiwan has promised to donate 2,000 tonnes of rice to the Philippines by the end of the year and as of Tuesday, the Philippines has received 1,500 tonnes of rice. The remaining 500 tonnes are scheduled to arrive later this month.
ISF Gymnasiade
Record medals won
Taiwanese athletes completed their participation in the 2024 Gymnasiade in Bahrain on Thursday with a record 79 medals, including 35 golds. A total of 119 Taiwanese athletes competed in 19 different sports at the U18 games, with strong performances from the judo team, which won seven golds, one silvers and four bronzes. Wu Chun-you (吳俊佑), who competed in the para-athletics event, received a “sporting spirit award” from the International School Sport Federation (ISF), becoming the first Taiwanese athlete to win such honor. Sports Administration Director Cheng Shih-chung (鄭世忠) said the event provided young Taiwanese athletes with invaluable experience in international sporting competitions. Prior to the event, Taiwan’s best performance at the Gymnasiade had been 68 medals, including 24 gold, Chinese Taipei School Sport Federation head Hu Chien-feng 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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