CULTURE
Hugh Lee to receive citation
The Executive Yuan has approved a proposal to present theater director and actor Hugh Lee (李國修) with a presidential citation. Lee, founder of the Ping-Fong Acting Troupe (屏風表演班), died in Greater Taichung on July 2 at the age of 57 after a three-year battle with cancer. Born in Taipei in 1955, Lee set up Ping-Fong in 1986 and was the group’s main actor, director and writer until 2011. His works, such as Can Three Make It (三人行不行), are known for satirizing contemporary political and social events and for using a few actors to play many different characters. He was the first recipient of the National Award for Arts in the drama category when the award was established in 1997.
POLITICS
‘Dreamers’ brings censure
The Control Yuan yesterday censured the Executive Yuan and the Ministry of Culture over their lack of decision-making accountability in connection with the musical Dreamers (夢想家). The NT$215 million (then US$7.1 million) musical was performed just twice as part of celebrations for the Republic of China’s (ROC) centennial in 2011. Control Yuan members Ma Hsiu-ju (馬秀如) and Chou Yang-shan (周陽山) said then-Council for Cultural Affairs minister Emile Sheng (盛治仁) made all the decisions regarding the musical. Although Sheng’s role as chief executive of the ROC Centenary Foundation helped cut through red tape and expedite the decision-making, it meant a government agency was following the orders of a civilian organization, which was inappropriate, the reprimand said. A lack of foresight and budget control, along with sharp changes to the scheduling, had caused a major budget overrun, it added.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
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