DIPLOMACY
Yoshiro Mori visits Taiwan
Former Japanese prime minister Yoshiro Mori arrived in Taiwan yesterday for a two-day private visit, the third former Japanese prime minister to visit the country this year, following Taro Aso and Shinzo Abe, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. During his stay, Mori will attend the 13th Asian Japanese Rugby Cup to be held in Taipei today and visit the Baojue Buddhist Temple (寶覺禪寺), a shrine dedicated to some Japanese World War II soldiers who fought overseas located in Taichung. Mori, known as his pro-Taiwan position, last visited the country in November 2006, when he was received by then-president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who conferred upon him the Special Grand Cordon of the Order of the Brilliant Star, incurring the anger of Beijing.
POLITICS
Lee Huan dies at 95
Former premier Lee Huan (李煥) died of cardiopulmonary failure at Taipei Veterans General Hospital late on Thursday at the age of 95. Lee is survived by four children. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華), the second child of the late politician, made the announcement of his father’s passing and said the family would hold a simple funeral without a public memorial ceremony, according to his father’s wishes. Presidential Office spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) immediately extended his condolences to Lee’s family upon being informed of the death. Lee was born in China’s Hubei Province in 1917 and served as premier from 1989 to 1990. He also served as minister of education from 1984 to 1987.
CHINA
Chinese visa wait shortened
Taiwan’s representative office in Los Angeles has shortened the visa processing time for overseas Chinese nationals intending to visit Taiwan, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Los Angeles said on Thursday. The new service — currently being provided on a trial basis before it is expanded to other US cities — allows eligible applicants to obtain entry permits to Taiwan within 10 days of application, compared with the usual three to four weeks. The program is aimed at holders of People’s Republic of China passports who have lived overseas for a year or who hold permanent resident status or student visas in a foreign country. According to a TECO immigration clerk, the service has received a warm reception since it was launched on Nov. 8.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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