MILITARY
Soldier suspect in vape case
A conscript surnamed Tsao (曹) is suspected of smuggling more than 50 “zombie vapes” into a training center, the Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Tsao, who serves in the First Battalion of the 109th Infantry Brigade, was allegedly found with the e-cigarette devices at a training center in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口) on Sunday during a security check, the Sixth Army Command said in a statement. Several other military personnel are suspected to be involved. “Zombie vapes” contain etomidate, a type of central nervous system depressant that can induce anesthesia. Prosecutors did not reveal more details of the case, although it is understood that their request to detain Tsao was denied. The unit would fully cooperate with the investigation and reinforce its anti-drug education program and policies, the Sixth Army Command said. The Food and Drug Administration is to meet today to discuss reclassifying etomidate as a Category 2 narcotic.
ENVIRONMENT
Agency eyes anti-iguana plan
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said it would take more serious action, including the use of firearms, to deal with invasive green iguanas, whose growing population is threatening agriculture in the south. The ministry plans to establish a specialized team and work with local governments to deal with the reptiles, and is considering the use of firearms, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Rice and red bean crops are being affected by the rapidly reproducing iguanas, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) said. The Pingtung County Government raised its budget to deal with the issue to NT$3 million from NT$2 million (US$92,450 from US$61,633), and expects to spend NT$6 million to deal with about 30,000 green iguanas this year, Lai said. Nearly 200,000 green iguanas are in Taiwan and about 190,000 have been captured since 2021, Chen said. The ministry needs an appropriate budget to deal with the problem, he added. It plans to work with local governments to explore the possibility of using firearms, which have been used to remove invasive species in the past, and would conduct training and workshops beforehand. The ministry also plans to create a platform to handle iguana control at river and border areas, he added.
CRIME
Three held for fake car plates
Three people have been arrested for selling fake vehicle license plates made in China, amid a surge in criminal activity involving vehicles with fake plates, Kaohsiung police said on Tuesday. At a news conference, police said three suspects — a 32-year-old from Tainan and two people aged 26 and 29 from Kaohsiung — were apprehended separately for selling more than 500 fake China-made license plates. Eight buyers were questioned by police, who seized eight sets of fake plates. Police said a crackdown on fake license plates was launched following an increase in their use on vehicles involved in drunk driving and speeding cases, as well as other criminal activity. Police identified the three suspects, surnamed Huang (黃), Lin (林) and Hsieh (謝), who were posting advertisements on social media offering fake license plates. The suspects placed orders with companies in China for their Taiwanese customers, selling the plates for NT$6,000 to NT$8,000 per set. The suspects also used dummy accounts to deposit income made from their illegal activities and laundered the money abroad through payment apps, such as Alipay, and cryptocurrency, police said.
Staff writers, with CNA
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
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
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