TRANSPORTATION
Platform ticket prices to rise
Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) on Friday said that it has resumed the sale of platform tickets for all stations, with the price per ticket rising from NT$6 to NT$22. A platform ticket allows people to access TRC train station platforms, but they cannot board trains. They are useful for people who wish to pick up or drop off friends and family members. Sales for such tickets were discontinued at more than 170 stations in June 2013, except for five stations in Taichung and other places. The TRC said it resumed selling platform tickets on June 23, and that the tickets are available at station ticket counters or automated ticket machines. The NT$22 platform ticket allows entry for up to one hour. People who purchase a platform ticket and stay longer than one hour, but less than three hours would need to pay an additional NT$139 on top of the original ticket, the TRC said. If they stay for more than three hours, an additional NT$911 would be charged, it added.
Photo: CNA
SOCIETY
Man killed by dogs
The Ciaotou District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday said that a 76-year-old man surnamed Tsai (蔡), who was found dead on a beach in Kaohsiung after swimming in the ocean, was mauled and killed by three stray dogs. The office disclosed its findings after prosecutors and a forensic pathologist determined Tsai died of massive blood loss. The body was released to the family, who did not contest the office’s conclusion, it said. The coast guard unit at Yong-an Fishing Port said Tsai was found on the beach at 4pm on Thursday without vital signs, and that his body was covered in bite marks, 10 minutes after a report about the attack was received. The man was identified by the Kaohsiung City Police Department’s Gangshan Precinct, which said it notified prosecutors after he was pronounced dead at a local hospital.
SOCIETY
Man falls to death
A 67-year-old man surnamed Lu (呂) fell to his death from a rooftop in New Taipei City on Thursday after attempting to prevent an air-conditioning unit from falling, as it was being hoisted onto the roof of a five-story apartment, police said. An initial investigation found that Lu had tried to grab the air-conditioner when it came loose during the hoisting process and fell to the ground along with the unit. The incident occurred at about 4pm. The workers delivering and installing the air-conditioner had decided to hoist the machine onto the rooftop, because the stairwell was too narrow. Upon arrival, police found Lu without a heartbeat, and he was later pronounced dead at a hospital after efforts to resuscitate him failed. The four workers were referred by the police to prosecutors on suspicion of negligent homicide.
CULTURE
Taiwan to present in Osaka
Taiwan is to present a cultural program from Aug. 2 to 20 titled “We Taiwan” at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, to show the country as an “island of miracles” with unlimited innovation, the Ministry of Culture said. “We Taiwan” includes an exhibition at “VS.,” a creative hub designed for new media exhibitions and immersive events, the ministry said. The “Taiwan Spectrum” exhibition is “a sensory journey that spans geography, history, culture and contemporary art,” and uses light, shadow and sound, it said. Admission to “We Taiwan” is free of charge, but some events require advance registration through the event’s Line account, http://lin.ee/GwlNGiT, the ministry said.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
RSS