TRAVEL
Tigerair to add route
Tigerair Taiwan is to begin offering two round-trip flights to Oita, Japan, on April 2. That would be the carrier’s 21st route in Japan and the fourth for the island of Kyushu, the carrier said. The airline also has flights for Fukuoka, Saga and Miyazaki. Tigerair Taiwan, a subsidiary of China Airlines, said the new route is expected to broaden the airline’s network in Kyushu and give Taiwanese travelers more flexibility when they plan trips to the island. It would fly from Taoyuan to Oita every Wednesday and Saturday at noon, while flights from Oita would leave on the same days and arrive in Taoyuan at 5:55pm. An Airbus 320 would be used to fly the new route. Tigerair Taiwan said it hopes to take advantage of Oita’s natural beauty and Taiwanese’s continued interest traveling to Japan.
Photo courtesy of Tigerair Taiwan Ltd
DIPLOMACY
Aid agreement signed
Taiwan signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Thursday in London to join an initiative to support Ukraine’s workforce development. Representative to the UK Vincent Yao (姚金祥) attended the signing ceremony to join the Human Capital Response Program for Ukraine and affirmed Taiwan’s commitment to helping reconstruction efforts. The program encourages businesses to invest in workplace inclusion, accessibility, childcare support, vocational education and improved work environments to aid Ukraine’s economic recovery. Yao said Taiwan is eager to share its expertise and provide humanitarian assistance. He also highlighted the nation’s long-standing cooperation with the EBRD in transportation logistics, refugee aid and cybersecurity resilience.
TOURISM
Hualien incentivizes travel
Hualien County yesterday launched a new incentive program to attract more foreign tourists, offering travel agencies up to NT$4,000 per person in tour groups to the county. The program is to run until Nov. 30, during which travel agencies that bring tour groups with at least 12 foreign visitors to Hualien can apply for cash rewards. The incentives are based on the length of stay — NT$2,000 per person for two nights, NT$3,000 per person for three nights and NT$4,000 per person for four nights. To qualify, the tour must also include at least one “eco-friendly activity,” such as staying at a certified green hotel, dining at an eco-friendly restaurant or visiting an environmental education site such as Liyu Lake (鯉魚潭) or the Chihnan Nature Center. For more information, visit https://hltrip.tw/agency/rule.php.
SOCIETY
Car crashes in Hsinchu
A sport utility vehicle driver in Hsinchu City yesterday lost control of his vehicle, leaving one person dead and six injured. The driver, a man surnamed Lin (林), abruptly swerved to avoid colliding with another vehicle, Hsinchu City Police Bureau Traffic Police Brigade chief Hsu Wei-liang (許惟亮) said. Lin lost control and crashed into the car in front of him and another car waiting to turn left. Lin’s vehicle then flipped over and ran into two other cars and a motorcycle, Hsu said. The woman driving the motorcycle had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Lin and his passengers were treated for multiple abrasions. A breath alcohol test showed there was no alcohol in Lin’s blood, but the case would be handed over to prosecutors for an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter charges, Hsu said.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
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