TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The military is ending the Han Kuang 40 war games one day early on Thursday (July 25) so soldiers can help with disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Gaemi.
The annual exercises had been scheduled for July 22-26, with unscripted drills and reactions taking precedence. The approach of the typhoon already forced the cancellation of part of the exercises earlier in the week. The Ministry of National Defense (MND) said it ordered the military to halt Han Kuang 40 at noon Thursday. All units needed to transit immediately to the new task of helping local governments provide disaster relief. The military can be requested to help with tasks including the evacuation of residents threatened by floods and landslides, and the repair of basic infrastructure. Earlier reports said the MND was preparing both manpower and machinery to intervene if necessary.
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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) was convicted of corruption and forgery at Taichung District Court on Friday (July 26).
Yen was sentenced to eight years and four months in prison for the two convictions and barred from running for public office for three years. The case is open to appeal. The court's announcement was delayed from Thursday to Friday due to Typhoon Gaemi. Taichung District Prosecutor’s Office (TDPO) brought charges against Yen, his wife Chen Li-ling (陳麗凌), his brother Yen Neng-hsien (顏能賢), his assistant Lin Chin-fu (林進福), and designer Chang Yu-ting (張于廷) in March 2023. Chen was acquitted, Lin was sentenced to six months in prison, and Chang received a four-month sentence. According to the indictment, Yen's house in Taichung's Shalu District was found to be illegally occupying state-owned land during the 2021 election cycle. The indictment alleged that Yen’s sale of the property to Chang was fraudulent, involving collusion with Chen and construction company owner Chen Chin-fu (陳進福). The indictment also alleged that Lin falsely claimed subsidies for assistant fees while Yen was a legislator. Yen Kuan-heng and Lin were charged with corruption, forgery, and larceny. Chen and Chang were charged with forgery, and Yen’s brother was charged with larceny. The prosecutor requested harsher sentencing for Yen Kuan-heng and sought to confiscate NT$1 million (US$30,433) in fraudulent assistant fees. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Hsinchu Mayor Kao Hung-an (高虹安) from the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) was convicted of corruption at Taipei District Court on Friday (July 26).
The court sentenced Kao to seven years and four months in prison, barred her from running for public office for four years, and suspended her mayoral duties. The case can be appealed. The Taipei Prosecutor’s Office (TPO) also charged Kao’s former assistant Huang Hui-wen (黃惠玟), former legal team director Chen Yu-kai (陳昱愷), former office director Chen Huan-yu (陳奐宇), and former public relations director Wang Yu-wen (王郁文) with forgery. During the trial, Kao and Wang pleaded not guilty, while Huang, Chen, and Chen admitted guilt. According to the TPO’s indictment, Kao instructed her assistant Huang Hui-wen to falsify expense reports when claiming subsidies. Huang was allegedly directed to give the difference to Kao for personal use. Kao claimed during the trial that she was following Huang’s suggestion, which had been used previously during her tenure under former Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋). Huang asserted that Kao shifted the responsibility to her assistants once the scheme was exposed. Chen Huan-yu testified that Kao had asked him to delete all communication records from his cell phone or destroy the phone. He also said another female assistant was instructed to delete accounting records from her computer or destroy the machine. The prosecution said this case marks the first time the court has ruled on the legality of the assistant subsidy scheme and hopes the decision will stop such practices. At one point in the trial, Kao accused the prosecutor of concealing a 16-minute recording from the interrogation. Wang alleged political motives behind the prosecution and supported Kao’s claim about the missing 16 minutes, asserting that the recording included attempts to coerce Wang into admitting guilt. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A Taiwanese medical team will travel to Cambodia this month to provide free medical services estimated to reach around 2,000 people.
The Federation of Taiwan Pharmacists Associations (FTPA) worked with the Formosa Budding Hope Organization (FBHO), joining pharmaceutical companies to donate 70 kinds of important medicine to Siem Reap Province. In a press conference on Monday (July 22), FTPA said pharmacists associations “spared no effort in participating in international affairs in recent years,” strengthening Taiwan’s diplomacy. Taiwan's medical team consists of 51 members, including three doctors, five dentists, three pharmacists, seven nurses, and 33 volunteers. They will operate in difficult-to-access, remote areas where medical supplies are most needed, FBHO said. FBHO was created in Taiwan by "a group of friends passionate about Cambodia.” It has assisted 47,679 people in the country, according to its website. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) announced new support measures for victims of flooding Friday (July 26) while touring parts of south Taiwan heavily affected by Typhoon Gaemi.
Even though the typhoon has moved off to China, the aftermath of the storm caused heavy rain in south Taiwan and in mountainous areas Friday. Taiwan’s three southernmost areas, Kaohsiung City, Tainan City, and Pingtung County, saw for the third consecutive day offices and schools closed. Lai visited Meinong District in Kaohsiung City on Friday morning, touring orchards to view the damage caused by the typhoon and subsequent flooding. He added that the central government would increase financial support for victims of the disaster, Radio Taiwan International reported. During the visit, Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) said his government would pay NT$15,000 (US$457) to each household whose home had been flooded to a height of at least 50 centimeters, and NT$5,000 for lower water levels. The president responded by promising NT$20,000 for victims of flood water reaching higher than 50 cm, and NT$10,000 for low and middle income families with flood levels lower than 50 cm. He added the measure would be valid for the whole country, not just for Kaohsiung City. Lai praised the water management efforts of the past years, saying they had been successful in limiting the damage. Efforts would continue, adjusting measures to local conditions in order to mitigate the impact of climate change, he said. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two people were seriously injured after typhoon winds in Hualien caused part of a building to fall on a car.
The Hualien County Fire Department said it received a report at about 5.30 p.m. that a car had been hit by falling debris. Emergency services arrived at the scene to find a woman and a boy who were seriously injured in the incident. The fire department said the woman’s heart had stopped beating when emergency services arrived and the boy was in a coma. There was no update on the woman's condition as of press time. The driver of the car was not reported injured. In a video shot by a member of the public, what appears to be iron roofing detaches from the building in high winds, knocking a slab off the side, which falls and hits a car below. The rear of the car is crushed by the debris. The slab that hit the car fell from about six stories up, according to the video. It appeared to be made of concrete and bricks, which are shown scattered across the road in a photo released by the fire department. The high winds were caused by Typhoon Gaemi, which has so far caused one fatality in Kaohsiung. Taiwan’s Central Emergency Operation Center said 58 people have been injured in the storm at 2.30 p.m. Wednesday. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Typhoon Gaemi is causing a second consecutive day of work and class cancellations for Thursday (July 25), the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration (DGPA) said.
Taipei, New Taipei, Keelung, and Taoyuan waited until 8 p.m. to announce their decision to remain closed. The central Taiwan regions of Taichung, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, and Nantou were first to announce a second day of closures. They were followed by Chiayi City, Chiayi County, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung in the south. Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County in the north, Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung on the east coast. The island counties of Penghu and Lienchiang also decided to cancel work and classes on Thursday. The outlying island county of Kinmen, the only part of Taiwan where offices and schools were still open Wednesday (July 24), decided on a shutdown for Thursday as the typhoon was on course to cross the Taiwan Strait during the day. The DGPA constantly updates changes for the closures here. Several city and county leaders came under fire for changing their minds, first announcing work and classes as normal for Wednesday before canceling them just hours later. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Indonesian freighter Iriana ran aground on a beach in Pingtung County during Typhoon Gaemi, but its crew was safe and there was no risk of oil leaks, reports said Thursday (July 25).
The ship dropped anchor off the southwest coast of Taiwan Wednesday (July 24) around 5 p.m. to repair a rudder. When the problem was solved, the freighter set sail toward the south after 10 p.m. However, barely one hour into the journey, the Iriana ran aground near a beach at Jialutang in Pingtung County. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said the crew of 20 was safe and did not need any assistance. The ship had not lost engine power, and there was no risk of any fuel leaking into the sea, the CGA said, adding it was monitoring the situation. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) apologized to the children and parents affected by the sexual abuse scandal by a former preschool teacher.
Mao Chun-shen (毛畯珅) is being investigated for sexually abusing almost 30 young girls at Taipei Piramide School (台北市私立培諾米達幼兒園), a private preschool owned by his mother. The man, in his 30s, was indicted in August 2023 on charges of aggravated rape and aggravated offenses of forced obscenity against six girls, and prosecutors are still investigating at least 20 additional allegations. Parents first reported their concerns to the school in July 2022, and the case was reported to the police. However, prosecutors dropped the case after reviewing surveillance footage and finding insufficient evidence. In 2023, another investigation began after one preschool student revealed bodily pain and disturbing findings about the teacher’s actions. Investigators eventually found proof that the man sexually molested and assaulted six children from 2021 to 2023. This month, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) filed a complaint against Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) and former Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) for what they called the city government’s failure to respond. The teacher should have been suspended during the investigation, but their belated response enabled the suspect to harm more children, the councilors said. Chiang told reporters that parents are responsible for protecting their children from harm, and if any child in Taipei is harmed under his leadership, "I must bear responsibility.” The mayor said laws and policies will be reviewed and improved to avoid similar incidents. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Landslides and floods in the wake of Typhoon Gaemi have delayed the full resumption of train traffic after 3 p.m. Thursday (July 25).
The bridge under one track in Hualien County over the Xiaoqingshui Creek was swept away by flood waters. As train services had been suspended since Wednesday (July 24) afternoon, no trains were affected and nobody was injured. In a separate incident Wednesday, landslides buried the tracks in two places between Chongde and Heren. TRC advised travelers to find out about changes to regular services from Thursday afternoon. In some cases, repairs will have to wait until after the rain stops, the company said. Express train services along the east coast will remain suspended, but local trains will run between Shulin and Suao from 3 p.m. Trains from Taitung to Hualien are scheduled to resume service at 3:50 p.m., with service in the other direction expected to start two hours later. Problems are not limited to the east coast, with rising waters in rivers leading to the closure of bridges and forcing the rerouting of trains between Changhua City and Chaozhou in Pingtung County. The South Link Line between Kaohsiung and Taitung via Fangliao in Pingtung County will stay closed for the day. |
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