■ Politics
Chiang sues Chen over 228
A grandson of the late dictator Chiang Kai-shek (將介石) yesterday sued President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) for libel after Chen called Chiang the main culprit in the 1947 massacre of thousands of Taiwanese. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) filed the libel suit with the Taipei District Court. He demanded compensation of US$1 and a newspaper apology from Chen. "President Chen's arbitrary conclusion concerning the 228 Incident can only deepen ethnic division. I ask him to hold a public debate with me," Chiang told reporters. "If the debate shows that Chiang Kai-shek was not the main culprit, Chen must apologize to the whole nation and clear Chiang Kai-shek's name," Chiang said. Chen did not immediately respond to Chiang's libel suit.
■ Agriculture
Biofuel project expanded
The government has decided to increase the amount of land allocated for biofuel crops -- soybean, rape, sunflower and sweet potato -- from 1,721 hectares last year to 4,550 hectares this year, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday. Council officials said that 3,280 hectares would be used for soybean cultivation, 1,240 hectares for planting sunflowers and 30 hectares for raising sweet potatoes on a trial basis. Soybeans, rape seed and sunflowers can be turned into ethanol used in biodiesel, while sweet potatoes will be used to supply the ethanol to be blended with gasoline during manufacturing trials. The government started its "biofuel development project" two years ago to reduce reliance on imported fuels. A recent report from the Ministry of Economic Affairs said that 98.22 percent of energy supplies used last year was imported. Officials said that as some 220,000 hectares of farmland is left fallow every year, the COA had decided to utilize this land to produce biofuel-related raw materials, for which demand is increasing.
■ Environment
Save tree frog project starts
The Taipei City Government and Hewlett-Packard (HP) Taiwan are inviting the public to donate used ink or printer cartridges to raise funds that will be used in reviving the city's shrinking wetlands and secure the survival rate of the Taipei tree frog. HP will donate NT$10 to NT$50 to the Chi Sing Eco-Conservation Foundation, a civic group dedicated to environmental protection, for every used ink or printer cartridge sent to companies such as Tsann Kuan Group (燦坤), Yungchin Real Estate Agency (永慶房屋) and Arcoa Corp (全虹通信) this and next month. Funds raised will be used to grow plants in mountainous areas around the city to revive the habitat of Taipei tree frogs, said Chou Ching-an (周慶安), a division chief at Taipei City's Department of Economic Development. Chou said that Taipei tree frogs could still be found in Four Beast Mountain (四獸山) and Yangmingshan National Park.
■ Diplomacy
African summit to be held
The summit between the presidents of Taiwan and its African allies will not be held in Africa as originally planned but in Taiwan, Foreign Minister James Huang (黃志芳) said on Monday. The Taiwan-African Allies Summit was meant to take place at the end of last year, but it was postponed. Huang said that the summit could be held in Taiwan in the near future since facilities in Taiwan are more suitable for organizing such an event. The government would make a final decision on the summit after discussing the details of the summit with its African allies, he said.
■ Travel
New rules bring long lines
Long lines were reported at the international airports in Taipei and Kaohsiung yesterday as new security rules for carry-on baggage took effect. The new rules bar passengers from carrying containers holding more than 100ml of liquid, gel or spray in their carry-on bags on international flights, and the containers under that limit must must be placed in a see-through plastic bag and checked by security officials before boarding. Aviation police were providing the regulation 24cm by 17cm plastic bags to passengers yesterday, one per person. At Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the police quickly ran through their supply of 20,000 bags. The situation at the airport was orderly, although some passengers complained about the long wait, saying that extra staff should have been assigned to help implement the new measures. Before entering controlled areas, passengers had to dump any proscribed containers and so many were seen rushing to gulp down the hot or cold beverages they had just purchased.
■ Transport
Taipei HSR station opens
The Taiwan High Speed Rail will finally commence full operation with the opening of the Taipei station today, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC, 台灣高鐵) announced yesterday. Operation on the section between Taipei and Banciao had been delayed because of electrical and other problems. The THSRC said it expected tens of thousands of passengers to throng the Taipei station today and tomorrow, and advised passengers to double check the train schedule. While there have been ticketing problems, the THSRC said it would allow passengers to book tickets via telephone.
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it
Another wave of cold air would affect Taiwan starting from Friday and could evolve into a continental cold mass, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Temperatures could drop below 10°C across Taiwan on Monday and Tuesday next week, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. Seasonal northeasterly winds could bring rain, he said. Meanwhile, due to the continental cold mass and radiative cooling, it would be cold in northern and northeastern Taiwan today and tomorrow, according to the CWA. From last night to this morning, temperatures could drop below 10°C in northern Taiwan, it said. A thin coat of snow
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