A land warning for Super Typhoon Talim, which has developed into a severe storm, was issued by the Central Weather Bureau last night. Forecasters said that Talim, the 13th typhoon reported in the Pacific this year, is expected to bring heavy rains to the whole country, and reminded people in mountainous areas to take disaster prevention measures as soon as possible.
At 8am yesterday, the bureau issued a sea warning to boats sailing in the waters east and southeast of Taiwan and in the Bashi Channel (巴士海峽), where long waves and gusts were observed. At 5pm yesterday, Talim, whose radius is 250km and is centered in the Pacific Ocean 720km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) -- Taiwan's southernmost tip -- is expected to be 180km east of Hualien in eastern Taiwan by 5pm today.
According to Hsieh Ming-chang (
"We predict that the weather in Taiwan will be significantly affected by the typhoon [today and tomorrow]," Hsieh said.
If Talim continues on its current path, it will land in eastern Taiwan today, sweeping north and moving toward Fujian Province in China. However, due to a high pressure front moving northeast of Taiwan, Talim's route might change. But forecasters said heavy rains nationwide would be inevitable, no matter what route the typhoon took.
Talim could bring abundant rainfall to northern Taiwan, forecasters said. The Taipei City Government yesterday urged residents to relocate cars parked along the banks of the Keelung River (
Meanwhile, Premier Frank Hsieh (
"We will be well-prepared for all kinds of situations," the premier said. "However, we will alert the public if there is a need to interrupt regular water supplies."
Hsieh made his remarks yesterday morning, when reporters asked him whether the government could promise constant water supply services and that it carried out all necessary preparations for the typhoon. The premier said that no damage will occur if everybody cooperates.
The premier was surrounded by reporters and was questioned as to whether the drought in Taoyuan after the most recent typhoon would occur again.
According to the Shihmen Reservoir Management Center, a minor flood discharge has been carried out for safety reasons as of yesterday afternoon. The discharge was part of the preparations for the typhoon, because the reservoir is almost full. In the meantime, however, the water in the reservoir has again become muddy, sparking concerns about an interruption of water supplies in Taoyuan County.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
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