■ Expatriates
Petition launched in Paris
About 40 Taiwanese students and expatriates in France launched a campaign yesterday at the Taiwan Representative Office in Paris to urge members of local Taiwanese communities to sign a statement requesting that the UN play an active role in maintaining peace in the Taiwan Strait. The statement said that Taiwan has no intention of challenging the rights of any UN members by pushing its bid to join the world body, adding that Beijing's continuous obstruction in dealing with Taiwan's efforts to join the international community can only irritate the 23 million people of Taiwan and Taiwanese living abroad. "This obstruction will not help improve relations between the two sides of the Taiwan Strait. On the contrary, it will be harmful to peace in the Strait," it said.
■ Politics
PFP candidate says he's best
Former People First Party (PFP) Legislator Hsieh Chang-chieh (謝章捷) yesterday called for his Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) rival Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) to drop out of the race for Changhua County commissioner, saying that he does not rule out the possibility of running as a KMT flag-bearer. Hsieh also called on the PFP and KMT headquarters to speed up their merger plan and begin by cooperating to jointly nominate a better candidate in Changhua County. He said that he believes he is the better candidate and stands a better chance of winning the race. In response, Cho said that he has no plan to drop out of the race. He also proposed to settle the matter through a poll or party-to-party negotiations. Cho's office said that it is ridiculous for Hsieh to make such a request.
■ Water supply
Lawmaker slams Ho
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker Tu Wen-ching (杜文卿) yesterday demanded the resignations of Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) and Water Resources Agency Director-General Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) for what he called negligence in fixing the nation's flooding problems. Tu threatened to launch another round of action if Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) fails to positively respond to his request. Tu said that Ho and Chen have shown little concern for the flooding problem in his constituency of Miaoli County. One segment of the embankment along Ta-an River (大安溪) collapsed last year and has not yet been fixed, causing flooding during the typhoon season this year, he said. When Tropical Storm Haitang swept through southern Taiwan last month, the water supply in Miaoli County was cut off for two days without notice, Tu said. He later discovered that the water was diverted to Taichung.
■ Culture
Festival to be held in London
Taiwan's top envoy in London said his office will hold a two-day "Taiwan festival" on Saturday and Sunday at Brent Cross, the biggest shopping mall in the north of London, to introduce the country's art and culture. Edgar Lin (林俊義), Taiwan's representative to the UK, said that the festival is aimed at showing the differences between Taiwan and China in the fields of art and cultural performance, as well as clarifying the concept of "China is China, Taiwan is Taiwan." In the past, Lin said, such performances have always been part of the activities of a "Chinese festival" organized by the Chinese Embassy and the municipality of London.
‘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
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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