TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed an official delegation from the allied nation of Paraguay on Sunday (March 17) for a five-day visit, led by the Paraguayan Minister of Information and Communication Technology.
Minister Gustavo Villate arrived at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport on Sunday and will remain in Taiwan until Thursday (March 21). The delegation also includes Jorge Daniel Duarte, the rector of the Taiwan Paraguay Polytechnic University, and special advisor to the Information Minister, Horacio José Caniza Vierci, per a MOFA press release. The purpose of the delegation’s visit is to study recent developments in Taiwan’s technological industries and economic performance. The delegation will also meet with relevant agencies to discuss programs for talent cultivation in higher education and measures to improve cybersecurity. The delegation will make visits to the Ministry of Digital Affairs, the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the National Science and Technology Council, the National Communications Commission, and the National Institute for Cyber Security. The delegation will also attend the Smart City Summit and Expo and the Net Zero City Expo this week. The delegation will also meet with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), and join a banquet hosted by Vice Foreign Minister Remus Chen (陳立國) later in the week. MOFA noted in their press release that Paraguay has remained one of Taiwan’s staunchest allies over the years. Taiwan will continue to share its experience and expertise with its trusted ally, and work with the Paraguayan government for the wellbeing and prosperity of both nations, said MOFA.
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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Baishatun Gong Tien Temple’s annual (白沙屯拱天宮媽祖廟) Mazu pilgrimage began on Monday (March 18), with temple officials noting that participants had reached a new record of 180,000.
The pilgrimage set off early in the morning, according to reporters. This led to traffic jams and a lively scene around the temple. The event is recognized as both the first such pilgrimage in Taiwan, beginning in 1863, and is considered the most challenging Mazu pilgrimage in the country, with no set route and only a starting time designated as well as a finishing date decided in advance for a route of approximately 400 km to be completed this year over nine days and eight nights. The palanquin carrying Mazu is also notable for its distinct pink color. It is also the first major Mazu pilgrimage to take place each year, typically starting in mid-March, while the Dajia Jennlan Mazu pilgrimage takes place in April. Gong Tien Temple Director-General Chen Chunfa (陳春發) said there was more interest in registration compared to previous years. Chen said the temple expected an increase of 80,000 pilgrims this year, with many taking part for the first time. He warned all pilgrims that the event was a test of physical strength and endurance as it would pass through the four counties of Miaoli, Taichung, Changhwa, and Yunlin. On the first leg of the journey, pilgrims stretched for as long as three kilometers as Mazu made his way to Yunlin’s Beignang Chaotian Temple (北港朝天宮). The return leg of the pilgrimage is scheduled to last just two days, with the procession expected to move at a brisk pace. Fireworks typically greet Mazu along the pilgrimage, and devotees set out tables with incense for the deity as well as coffee, bottled water, snacks, and gifts for pilgrims. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police in north Taiwan’s Keelung arrested five people suspected of being connected to the theft of around NT$5 million (US$160,000) worth of collectable plastic bear figures.
On March 11, a man surnamed Chang (張) who runs the “Crazy Uncle Toy Warehouse (瘋狂大叔玩具倉庫)” found that roughly 60 of his Bearbrick designer toys had been stolen from his warehouse in Keelung’s Qidu. Police said two men stole machinery from the warehouse in a separate burglary when they discovered the bears. They are alleged to have returned to the warehouse on March 10 to steal the bears, some of which were then sold at a flea market in New Taipei’s Sanchong District. On Sunday (March 17), Police arrested five people in connection with the case in locations throughout Keelung, New Taipei, and Taoyuan. Amphetamines were seized along with 18 of Chang’s bears when the arrests were made, police said. The 18 bears have been returned to Chang while the others remain unaccounted for. Chang posted on Facebook thanking police for returning the bears and arresting the suspects, and said he had been promised that investigations would continue into the whereabouts of the remaining toys. While he hopes all will be returned, he says understands that some of the toys may not be recovered. "But I still hope to find them. Every toy is my baby!," he wrote. According to U.K. department store Selfridges, Bearbricks are a “highly sought-after and exclusive items in the adult collectable sphere” that are commonly made of vinyl and stand about seven centimeters tall. The majority of models stolen from the Keelung warehouse were 28 centimeters tall. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Two hikers, both in their sixties, died on Sunday (March 17) after falling approximately six stories down the side of a mountain while hiking a trail in New Taipei’s Ruifang District.
The two men, a 69-year-old surnamed Kuo (郭) and a 68-year-old surnamed Lian (連), were hiking with a group of friends including two other men and two women. During their hike, they fell down a cliff face on a trail between the Pipa Cave Waterfall and the Sandiaoling Waterfall viewing area. The New Taipei City Fire Department received a distress call from the group at 1:42 p.m. and a rescue team was quickly organized to head up the mountain. When the team arrived, neither man had any vital signs, but the team sill rushed them down the mountain and by 5:10 p.m. both men were on their way to hospitals in Keelung. Kuo was taken to the Taiwan Miner’s General Hospital, while Lian was sent to the Keelung branch of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Unfortunately, in both cases, treatment was ineffective and the men were pronounced dead shortly after arrival. The trail that the group was using was reportedly not designated for safe public use, but was an old, narrow trail between waterfalls. One of the men likely lost their balance when coming around a bend, and it is reported that the second man who fell was trying to help the other when they both tumbled down the cliff face. New Taipei police are conducting an investigation to clarify details surrounding the incident. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A college student on Monday (March 18) plowed his car into a convenience store when he accidentally mistook the accelerator for the brake pedal.
A New Taipei male college student surnamed Liu (劉) was driving with two "novice driver" stickers on his car in Linkou District. When making a turn on Linkou Road, he mistakenly stepped on the accelerator instead of the brake pedal and instantly crashed into a convenience store. Linkou police received the report around 4 a.m., and emergency personnel found that the vehicle had barreled into a FamilyMart. The vehicle crashed through two large store windows, sending shards of glass and merchandise flying. However, there were no injuries reported. The 22-year-old student was reportedly returning from a friend's place in Linkou to a private university in New Taipei City. After a breathalyzer test, his alcohol level was measured at 0. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation. The financial damage to the convenience store will be evaluated by the store manager surnamed Chen (陳). TAIPEI, March 14 (Reuters) - Taiwan dispatched coast guard boats on Thursday to join a rescue mission at China's request after a fishing vessel capsized near the Taiwan-controlled Kinmen islands, amid heightened tension in the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
China claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, over the island's strong objections, and has stepped up military activities near it in recent years, with almost daily incursions into air defence identification zones. Authorities on both sides sent the rescue boats after a Chinese fishing vessel capsized in the early hours, Taiwan's coast guard said in a statement, adding that two people were missing, though two had been rescued and two bodies retrieved. Coast guard chief Chou Mei-wu told a parliamentary committee the boats were sent after Chinese authorities sought help, adding that such requests were common, with 119 people rescued in such efforts over the past three years or so. "The waters are narrow around the Kinmen-Xiamen (area) and co-operation between Taiwan and China is very important," he said, referring to the neighbours' cities that face each other across the strait. Taiwan sent four coast guard vessels and its Chinese counterpart six to participate in the rescue effort, the coast guard said. Last month, China's coast guard began regular patrols around the Kinmen islands close to its coast, after two Chinese nationals died while trying to flee Taiwan's coast guard after their boat entered prohibited waters. The Chinese fishing boat capsized about 1.07 nautical miles west of Taiwan's Dongding island, the coast guard said, with armed forces stationed there also engaging in the rescue, but did not elaborate. In a statement, Taiwan's Kinmen defense command said it had not received any request from Chinese authorities to search the island, but added that any survivors found would be handed to the coast guard. Last week, Taiwan's top China policy-making body urged its giant neighbour not to change the "status quo" around the waters there by sending coast guard boats into restricted areas, saying tension should be "controllable". TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — On Thursday (March 14), the same day a Chinese fishing boat sank off of Kinmen, a Chinese fisherman from another Chinese fishing vessel fell overboard off of Matsu, and the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is assisting in searching for fishermen from both boats.
The fisherman fell overboard about 5.55 km (3 NM) east of Matsu's Beigan Island, about four km outside of the island's restricted waters. The CGA received a notice from the Lienchiang County Government at 12:30 a.m. on Friday (March 15) and sent a ship to assist the Chinese coast guard in the search and rescue mission. A source said that a 26-year-old crew member from the Chinese fishing boat "Minlianyu 60911" fell overboard at noon on Thursday. Initially, the fishing vessel attempted to rescue the man, but they were unsuccessful, so they returned to China to report the incident and Chinese authorities then informed the Lienchiang County Government. The CGA dispatched two or three ships in the vicinity of the incident. They plan to conduct a coordinated search for 72 hours. The source told reporters that China also sent a coast guard ship and three to four fishing boats to help look for the fisherman. Earlier on Thursday, another Chinese fishing boat, the "Minlongyu 61222," sank 27 km southwest of Kinmen with six crew members onboard. Chinese vessels had found four of the crew, but two of them had died. The other two crew members are still missing and a joint mission between Chinese and Taiwanese coast guard ships to find them is still underway. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An 84-year-old hiker was found dead in the mountains of Kaohsiung City, presumably after having lost his footing, reports said Friday (March 15).
The man, surnamed Ling (凌), told relatives he was going for a walk in the Chaishan area, and left home around 8 a.m. Thursday (March 14). However, by 10 p.m., he still had not returned home. His relatives decided to file a missing-person report with the police. A look at footage from surveillance cameras last placed Ling at the entrance to Chaishan. As a result, the fire department sent a six-member team in three vehicles to the area around 1 a.m. Friday. At around 10 a.m., they found Ling’s body near Longquan Temple. A preliminary investigation by the police estimated that the hiker must have fallen down a slope after losing his footing. He was not transferred to hospital, but handed over to his family, the report said. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Prosecutors requested the detention of Taipei City Councilor Chen Chung-wen (陳重文) as a suspect in a kickback scandal involving police surveillance cameras, reports said Friday (March 15).
The Taiwan Intelligent Fiber Optic Network Consortium (Taifo) allegedly paid Chen up to NT$10 million (US$316,000) to pressure the capital’s police department to pay a higher price for the CCTV system. The original budget for the online transmission of the camera feed had been set at NT$550 million, but police later cut the price tag to NT$460 million, or NT$86 million less for Taifo. Company chief Lee Ching-huang (李慶煌) called on Chen to help out and paid him for his assistance in December and January, according to investigators. The Kuomintang (KMT) politician was found to have pressured police officials about the camera deal. Several rounds of negotiations ended with the police agreeing to a NT$520 million budget. On Thursday (March 14), the investigators searched 26 locations, including Chen’s home, Taipei City Council office, and local district office, plus companies linked to Lee. They interrogated nine defendants, including Chen and Lee, and five witnesses. Prosecutors requested the detention for Chen, while Lee was released on bail of NT$3.5 million, per the Liberty Times. Other defendants, including the politician’s wife, were freed after paying bail of between NT$300,000 and NT$2 million. TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Police in Tainan are investigating an attack on the chair of the Tainan chapter of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Pan Shin-chuan (潘新傳) that took place on Wednesday (March 13).
A 24-year-old surnamed Tsai (蔡) from Chiayi and a 19-year-old surnamed Li (李) from Pingtung were detained by police for assaulting Pan and his driver, a man surnamed Yang (楊), in the parking lot of a nursing home managed by Pan. Police believe the incident was a coordinated attack and that others were involved. The two defendants are in custody. Pan and Yang reportedly got into a car to leave Yongchun Nursing Home at 8:50 a.m. on Wednesday, Tsai and Li approached the vehicle shouting Pan’s name. The men began hitting the car with baseball bats, and when Yang got out to confront them, he was beaten as well. Yang received minor injuries to his head and arms, while Pan was thrown to the ground but not seriously injured. When employees at the nursing home came out to help, the two assailants fled the scene. Tsai and Li drove away in a vehicle which they quickly abandoned. Approximately an hour after the attack, they surrendered to police having disposed of their mobile phones beforehand. The men were charged with assault causing injury, damaging property, and breaking laws related to organized criminal activity. Police found that Tsai has a history of involvement in gang activity. Based upon the circumstances of the case and the men’s behavior during interrogation, the defendants are deemed a flight risk, and therefore, have been ordered to remain in custody without bail. The men both claimed they did not know who Pan was, despite allegedly yelling his name during the confrontation. The chair of Tainan’s DPP branch said he does not know the assailants and is baffled by their attack and motive. Police are investigating whether the attack was related to Pan’s business or his position in the DPP. |
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