■ Crime
Marshalls man convicted
A Marshall Islands man was convicted yesterday of attempting to murder a Taiwanese volunteer teacher in May and sentenced to seven years in jail. Chief Justice Carl Ingram said the sentence showed that serious assault was not acceptable in the Marshall Islands. Andy Jeillan, 20, changed his original plea from not guilty to guilty of one count of attempting to commit first-degree murder. His unprovoked attack on Yeh Chao-min, 30, at her apartment in the capital Majuro with a metal pipe late last month left her with a fractured cheekbone and other facial injuries. She was flown home for surgery. The assault prompted an outcry from government leaders, Taiwanese embassy officials and the media.
■ Crime
Yu Fu-hsing may be alive
Hong Kong newspapers yesterday reported that famous Taiwanese singer Yu Tien's (余天)'s adopted younger brother, Yu Fu-hsing (余福星), may not have been executed in China as previously reported. On Sunday, Hong Kong newspapers reported that Yu Fu-hsing had been executed after being caught trying to smuggle heroin into Xiamen. But newspapers yesterday said Yu was still in prison, and that his execution might not take place for another six months. Yu Tien yesterday said he has not been officially informed about whether his younger brother was executed. Newspapers said Yu Fu-hsing smuggled heroin from Thailand to Xiamen last March. He initially planned to transport it to Taiwan directly by boat, but because of Taiwan's tightened security at the time, he decided to transport the drugs to Xiamen and wait before bringing it across the Taiwan Strait. Yu was arrested late last year, and Chinese authorities have sentenced him to death.
■ Military
China report expected soon
The US Department of Defense is expected to release a report on China's military buildup around the July 4 US Independence Day, the Republic of China's top representative to the US said in Los Angeles Sunday. David Lee (李大維), who is currently on a brief visit in the southern California city, made the remarks while meeting with a group of Chinese-language media correspondents. In line with the principles of a Taiwan-US mutual trust mechanism, Lee said, US authorities will brief the Taiwan representative office in Washington, D.C. before the report on China's military power is released. The report is expected to include an in-depth assessment of China's military power and strategy and a detailed analysis of its missile and naval force buildup across the Taiwan Strait, China affairs experts said, adding that the report is expected to raise concerns over China's ever growing military threat to Taiwan.
■ Politics
DPP publishes rally DVDs
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday published DVDs recording the massive rally held on March 26 in Taipei to protest China's passage of its "Anti-Secession" Law. In addition to the Chinese-language version, English and Japanese versions are also available. According to DPP secretary-general Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋), the massive rally united the Taiwanese people and made Taiwan's rejection of China's claim over the country heard by the world. The recording was made to raise awareness of the event and commemorate it. Lee said that the DVD will be available to Taiwanese emigrants and students overseas.
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm early yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, less than a week after a typhoon barreled across the nation. The agency issued an advisory at 3:30am stating that the 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, of the Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, with a 100km radius. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA
Residents have called on the Taipei City Government to reconsider its plan to demolish a four-decades-old pedestrian overpass near Daan Forest Park. The 42-year-old concrete and steel structure that serves as an elevated walkway over the intersection of Heping and Xinsheng roads is to be closed on Tuesday in preparation for demolition slated for completion by the end of the month. However, in recent days some local residents have been protesting the planned destruction of the intersection overpass that is rendered more poetically as “sky bridge” in Chinese. “This bridge carries the community’s collective memory,” said a man surnamed Chuang
A tropical depression east of the Philippines became a tropical storm earlier today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The 22nd tropical storm, named Yinxing, in this year's Pacific typhoon season formed at 2am, the CWA said. As of 8am, the storm was 1,730km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) with a 100km radius, it said. It was moving west-northwest at 32kph, with maximum sustained winds of 83kph and gusts of up to 108kph. Based on its current path, the storm is not expected to hit Taiwan, CWA meteorologist Huang En-hung (黃恩宏) said. However, a more accurate forecast would be made on Wednesday, when Yinxing is
NEW DESTINATIONS: Marketing campaigns to attract foreign travelers have to change from the usual promotions about Alishan and Taroko Gorge, the transport minister said The number of international tourists visiting Taiwan is estimated to top 8 million by the end of this year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shi-kai (陳世凱) said yesterday, adding that the ministry has not changed its goal of attracting 10 million foreign travelers this year. Chen made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee to brief lawmakers about the ministry’s plan to boost foreign visitor arrivals. Last month, Chen told the committee that the nation might attract only 7.5 million tourists from overseas this year and that when the ministry sets next year’s goal, it would not include
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