Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) would only attend this weekend’s Taipei-Shanghai Twin City Forum for one morning before returning to Taiwan, the Taipei City Government said yesterday.
After being postponed in September, the forum is scheduled to take place this Saturday and Sunday in Shanghai.
Chiang’s decision to attend the forum only on Sunday morning comes in light of Friday’s random knife attack in Taipei.
Photo: Tung Kuan-yi, Taipei Times
Chiang believes the top priority is to safeguard people’s safety and reassure them by remaining in Taipei as much as possible, the city government said.
However, considering the 15-year history of the forum, Chiang decided to compromise and shorten his trip to Shanghai, it said.
The main delegation would still depart on Saturday as originally scheduled, led by Taipei Deputy Mayor Lin Yi-hua (林奕華), the city said.
After arriving on Saturday afternoon, the delegation is to visit the Mercedes-Benz Arena and Zhongshan Hospital, then meet with the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government and attend a banquet, the city government said.
When the main forum begins at 9am on Sunday, the cities are to sign two memorandums of understanding on water management and educational exchanges.
At 10:30am, the forum would break out into smaller discussion groups focusing on smart healthcare, transportation, healthy aging and more, with representatives from both cities taking part.
A thank-you luncheon that was to be hosted by the Taipei delegation after the forum has reportedly been canceled.
On Sunday afternoon, the delegation plans to visit the Zhangyuan historical area and the Shanghai Zoo to exchange red pandas, and then meet with Taiwanese businesspeople for dinner.
Meanwhile, Chiang on Sunday announced that Taipei would conduct a high-intensity drill at Taipei City Hall MRT Station on Friday.
The drill would not only involve municipal departments, but also require businesses within the drill area to take part, Chiang said today.
The city government has also asked the Taipei Metro and Department of Information Technology to research how to use artificial intelligence to detect potential threats and facilitate rapid response, he said.
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
PLANNED: The suspect visited the crime scene before the killings, seeking information on how to access the roof, and had extensively researched a 2014 stabbing incident The suspect in a stabbing attack that killed three people and injured 11 in Taipei on Friday had planned the assault and set fires at other locations earlier in the day, law enforcement officials said yesterday. National Police Agency (NPA) Director-General Chang Jung-hsin (張榮興) said the suspect, a 27-year-old man named Chang Wen (張文), began the attacks at 3:40pm, first setting off smoke bombs on a road, damaging cars and motorbikes. Earlier, Chang Wen set fire to a rental room where he was staying on Gongyuan Road in Zhongzheng District (中正), Chang Jung-hsin said. The suspect later threw smoke grenades near two exits
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS