■ POLITICS
Former lawmaker dies
Former People First Party legislator Lin Hui-kuan (林惠官), 53, passed away early yesterday morning as a result of post-surgery complications. His family issued a written statement saying that Lin was scheduled to be discharged from hospital two weeks after undergoing surgery of his neck in the middle of last month, but he was transferred to the National Taiwan University Hospital’s emergency room after developing complications and suffering from septicemia following the operation. Lin served two terms as a legislator-at-large for the People First Party and was known as a labor rights advocate. He served as chairman of Matsu Liquor Factory Industry Co after he was not nominated by his party for a seat in the present legislative term.
■ CULTURE
US deaf theater to perform
The Taipei Organizing Committee of the 21st Summer Deaflympics, Taiwan’s Seeing and Smiling Theater of the Deaf and the American Institute in Taiwan are sponsoring two performances and one workshop by the US National Theatre of the Deaf’s Little Theatre of the Deaf. The performances and workshop are free of charge and will take place in Taipei from Sept. 11 to Sept. 13. The Little Theatre of the Deaf will perform Tree Wise, which tells the story of a girl who has deaf parents and has made a new friend at school. Through the help of a special tree, the girl learns how to help her friend and her other classmates understand deaf culture. Tree Wise will be performed in easy-to-understand English and using American Sign Language and is suitable for both adults and children, the American Institute in Taiwan said.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of