■ Diplomacy
Academic denies HK posting
National Chi Nan University political science professor Byron Weng (翁松燃) denied yesterday that he had been appointed as Taiwan's new representative to Hong Kong. Weng, formerly a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and currently an adviser to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), denied a report carried in the Hong Kong Economic Journal yesterday that he had been appointed to replace Chang Liang-jen (張良任), managing director of the Chung Hwa Travel Service, Taiwan's de facto consulate in Hong Kong. In a telephone interview, Weng emphatically denied there was any truth to the report, saying, "There is absolutely no such thing [taking place]." Chang also denied the report, describing it as a fabrication. The Chung Hwa Travel Service is an agency under the control of the Mainland Affairs Council.
■ Health
Not too late to quit
Some may joke that it's never too late to start smoking, but for 89-year-old Huang He-ping (黃和平), it's never too late to quit. Huang is the oldest participant in Taipei's "quit and win" competition aimed at getting people to stop smoking. Huang said yesterday that as a smoker for the past 73 years, "I've quit smoking more than 300 times, but haven't succeeded yet in really stopping." He said that this time might be the one, given that there is a big cash prize as an incentive. Huang, who worked as a reporter and police officer when he was young, said the high pressure of the two jobs started him smoking. He used to smoke a pack and half of a day, and still smokes around a dozen cigarettes daily. "Quitting smoking is like writing an article, and one has to undergo some excruciating trials," Huang said, adding that the best way to quit smoking is to go to public places where you can't bother others with your habit. But the urge to smoke surfaces later, he added, when you get back home or go outdoors.
■ Foreign affairs
Caution urged in Philippines
Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, Wu Shin-hsing (吳新興), warned Taiwanese yesterday to avoid the Philippines following an attack on a building in Manila in which a foreign oil firm is located. Wu made the comment after suspected communist guerrillas fired a rocket-propelled grenade a day earlier at a building in the Makati business district in which oil firm Philipinas Shell Petroleum Corp is housed. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila is just a few meters from the building. Wu warned people not to visit the Philippines in the run-up to its May 10 presidential and general elections, saying that the political situation and public order have become increasingly unstable. Meanwhile, security measures in the buildings in which the Taiwan representative office and private staff residences are accommodated have been strengthened, he added.
■ Library science
Team visits Vatican
Council for Cultural Affairs Vice Chairman Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) and other officials visited the Vatican Museums and the Italian Culture Department yesterday to observe its documentation storage procedures. Wu and his group arrived in Rome on Saturday for a four-day visit. They will visit the Holy See's library to exchange views on secret filing before leaving for Germany today.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
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