Amis children participate in the Fata’an harvest festival in Hualien County’s Guangfu Township yesterday. The tribe scaled down this year’s event after the festival grounds were damaged by flooding from a barrier lake on the Mataian River in September last year.
Photo: Hua Meng-ching, Taipei Times
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s remarks that Taiwan is a Chinese province seeking independence threaten regional peace and stability and could undermine Taiwanese businesses’ confidence in investing in Malaysia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said today. Anwar recently made remarks implying that Taiwan is a province seeking to separate from China, effectively legitimizing Beijing’s position on using force to take Taiwan, the ministry said in a statement. The Republic of China, Taiwan, is a sovereign, independent country and is not subordinate to the People’s Republic of China, MOFA said, adding that that fact would not be changed no matter
UNNECESSARY?: While some said that the switch would mean more sunlight exposure for workers, others said the government should promote flexible working hours instead An online debate has resurfaced on whether Taiwan should switch to the same time zone as Japan, with supporters citing its geographic location and saying that China would have no right to object. The debate erupted on Threads when users suggested that Taiwan should stop using the same time zone as China, Malaysia and Singapore, GMT+8, and instead switch one hour ahead to the same time zone as Japan and South Korea, GMT+9, which it is geographically closer to. Under GMT+9 the sun would set later year-round, meaning that people would see sunlight after getting off work even in the winter and
The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday confirmed that Uni Air has submitted an application to suspend its Taipei-Hualien flights due to persistently low passenger rates. The airline, which is the only operator of the Taipei-Hualien route, proposed to suspend the service after Mandarin Airlines, another domestic flight carrier, applied to suspend flights to Hualien departing from Kaohsiung and Taichung earlier this year. The average load factor of the Taipei-Hualien flights during the first six months was 24.2 percent, CAA data showed. The average seat occupancy rate dropped even further to 17 percent last month, even though it was the beginning
The government would distribute a NT$10,000 cash handout to all citizens next year as Taiwan’s economy continues to grow, President William Lai (賴清德) said today, emphasizing that economic growth could reach a 39-year high. The president made the remarks this morning at the Presidential Office after being briefed on the Executive Yuan’s proposed central government budget for next year for the second time. The forecasts for Taiwan’s economic growth have continued to improve, driven by its longstanding strengths in semiconductors, information and communications technology and manufacturing supply chains, Lai said. The government would focus on five key policies next year: advancing its new