Between January and last month, there were 94 “personal safety” cases involving Taiwanese businesspeople in China, Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) data showed today.
The foundation intervenes in cases of funeral arrangements and death compensation, restrictions on personal freedoms due to legal matters, medical evacuations, lost or expired documents, and more.
The figure is a slight decrease compared to the same period last year, the SEF said.
Photo courtesy of the Straits Exchange Foundation
Separately, four Taiwanese members of the I-Kuan Tao (一貫道) religious group, all more than 70 years old, remain detained by Chinese authorities and are likely to face prosecution.
The SEF is a semi-official agency set up by the Taiwanese government to handle civil and business affairs with China, but it does not have its own offices there.
In the event of an emergency, the foundation relies on local Taiwanese business associations to gather information and provide immediate assistance to affected individuals and families, it said.
It also contacts its Chinese counterpart, the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits, to help coordinate with relevant Chinese authorities when necessary.
As many of these cases involve business secrets or personal information, the SEF usually cannot publicly disclose details, it said.
Furthermore, although individual cases may change over time — such as a person marked as “missing” later confirmed to have been arrested — the SEF’s statistics are not updated to reflect that and instead keep the initial categorization, it said.
“Missing” cases vary in nature and causes, it added.
Some cases are temporary losses of contact with family for some reason, while others are individuals who have been detained, but their families have not been contacted, it said.
After an individual’s family learns of a detention, arrest, trial or house arrest, that then changes the case, the SEF said.
After accepting a case, the foundation said it immediately contacts the person or family to understand more details and provide aid.
Depending on the situation, it can also issue reminders or anonymous warnings to other Taiwanese businesspeople operating or residing in China, it added.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
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COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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