■ POPULATION
Aborigines thriving
The number of Aborigines in the country totaled 494,107 as of the end of last year, up 2.05 percent from the previous year, the latest statistics by the Ministry of the Interior showed. Ministry officials said the increase was about six times that of the 0.34 percent growth rate for the overall population. Taiwan’s Aborigines were also younger on average than other groups, averaging 31.93 years of age as of the end of last year, 5.23 years lower than the 37.16 years the country’s population averaged as a whole. The number of Aborigines over 65 accounted for 6.1 percent of the total indigenous population, lower than the 10.4 percent of senior citizens in the overall population. Of the 14 tribes in Taiwan, the Amis were the most populous, with 177,909 people, followed by the Paiwan and Atayal tribes. The three tribes accounted for nearly 70 percent of the total Aborigine population.
■ TOURISM
Fahrenheit to play at NTU
Approximately 4,000 fans of the popular boy band Fahrenheit (飛輪海) from Japan, South Korea and Southeast Asia are scheduled to meet their idols at the National Taiwan University auditorium today. The group was chosen last year as the nation’s representatives to promote tourism in Japan and South Korea. The bureau said half of the participants were mobilized through the group’s international fan association, while the other half won tickets through an online draw organized by the bureau. Fans from overseas will receive tickets and glowing sticks to attend the concerts as well as EasyCards featuring a band portrait of Fahrenheit. The majority of fans are young women, the bureau said, adding that the concert would help generate NT$100 million (US$ 2.9 million) in revenue from overseas.
■ PANDAS
Yuan-yuan scared by crowd
The Taipei City Zoo released the giant pandas Tuan-tuan (團團) and Yuan-yuan (圓圓) to the outdoor display area for the first time yesterday, with loud voices from eager visitors leaving Yuan-yuan frightened. The zoo said the pandas had become used to the quiet indoor display area since their arrival in December and that the cheers from visitors made them nervous. Yuan-yuan fled to a corner shortly after stepping into the outdoor area. She was later sent back to the indoor area. Tuan-tuan, on the other hand, did not appear to have been affected by the noise and played around in the outdoor area. Taipei Zoo spokesman Jason Chin (金仕謙) said the zoo would open the outdoor area for the pandas when the temperature reached 20˚C and it wasn’t raining. With Yuan-yuan showing signs of having entered the estrous cycle, the zoo will separate the two pandas and prepare them for mating when Tuan-tuan is ready, Chin said.
■ ARTS
Domingo accepts invitation
World-renowned tenor Placido Domingo has accepted an invitation to perform in Miaoli next month, the county government said on Friday. The county government sent the invitation for its international music festival, scheduled for March 19 to March 21, after the successful performance by Jose Carreras late last year, county officials said. The officials said that to cater to all age groups, they would also invite Brian Mcknight, winner of the best male R&B Soul Artist in the American Music Awards, as well as Maksim, a popular pianist from Croatia. Ticket prices for the three performances have yet to be announced.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
POLICY UNCHANGED? Despite Trump’s remarks, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured that US policy toward Taiwan has remained consistent since the 1970s US President Donald Trump on Wednesday again refused to make clear his stance on protecting Taiwan from a hypothetical takeover by China during his presidency. Asked by a reporter during a Cabinet meeting whether it was his policy that China would never take Taiwan by force while he is president, Trump declined to give a definitive answer. “I never comment on that,” he said. “I don’t comment on it because I don’t want to ever put myself in that position.” Trump also reiterated that he has a “great relationship” with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and said that Washington welcomes good relations with
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