SOCIETY
Scaffolding collapse fatal
An Indonesian migrant worker was found dead early yesterday morning after the scaffolding for a National Taiwan University Hospital renovation project collapsed on Monday and trapped him in the debris, the Taipei City Government said. The man was working on the scaffolding in front of the hospital’s East Campus when it collapsed on Monday morning. No casualties were initially reported, but a 49-year-old Indonesian man was later said to be missing and possibly trapped at the scene. After an overnight search, the man was found dead early yesterday morning, trapped under the collapsed scaffolding, the city government said. The city’s Labor Inspection Office said the incident was likely caused by the construction company piling construction materials on the scaffolding and exceeding its weight limit.
Photo courtesy of the Taipei City Government
DIPLOMACY
Lin visits Eswatini
Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) yesterday led a delegation to Eswatini King Mswati III’s 57th birthday celebration as President William Lai’s (賴清德) special envoy, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Lin is leading the delegation of government officials and a group of business representatives to the nation’s only UN-recognized diplomatic ally in Africa from yesterday to Saturday, the ministry said. Lin would present a letter from Lai and cows as gifts to the king and Queen Mother Ntombi Tfwala, it said, adding that Lin would hold meetings with Eswatini Prime Minister Russell Dlamini and Eswatini Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Pholile Shakantu on bilateral ties and projects. The International Cooperation and Development Fund, chaired by Lin, runs the Taiwan Technical Mission in the Kingdom of Eswatini, covering agricultural, finance and telecommunication projects. The business representatives would explore opportunities in the African kingdom and meet with Taiwanese businesspeople based there, the ministry said. In March, Eswatini Minister of Home Affairs Princess Lindiwe announced that the main celebration of the king’s birthday would take place on Friday in the Shiselweni Region of the landlocked kingdom. The king was crowned Mswati III on April 25, 1986, after he turned 18 and succeeded King Sobhuza II, who died in August 1982. Taiwan and Eswatini established diplomatic ties when the latter became independent on Sept. 6, 1968.
LEISURE
Thai festival returns
This year’s Thai Festival is to run from Friday to Monday in Taipei and Kaohsiung, showcasing food and musical performances, with visitors given a chance to win round-trip airline tickets between Taiwan and Thailand, the Thailand Trade and Economic Office said on Monday. The Taipei leg of the festival would take place from Friday to Sunday in Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13, where people would be able to shop for traditional Thai snacks and brands, including cosmetics and souvenirs, Thai Representative Narong Boonsatheanwong said. Boonsatheanwong said the event would also feature musical performances from Chiang Mai, including Sbunnga, a dance company and The Ping Reverie, whose style is a fusion of jazz, pop and traditional Thai music. Four Thai actors from the upcoming Thai series B-Friend would hold a meet-and-greet at the venue and interact with fans, he added. The highlight of the Taipei event would come on the afternoons of Friday and Saturday, when a raffle draw would be held to give away round-trip tickets between Taiwan and Thailand, he said.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
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