FISHERIES
Fishing crew free on bail
A Taiwanese fishing boat and its five crewmen that were detained by Japanese authorities on Thursday for sailing into Japan’s territorial waters have been released after bail was arranged, the Suao Fishermen’s Association said yesterday. The Suao-registered longline fishing boat, the Sheng Fu Chin No. 26, was seized by a boat belonging to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries about 28 nautical miles (52km) northwest of Ishigaki Island. The five-person crew consisting of Tawainese skipper Wu Wan-cai (伍萬彩) and four Indonesians, were arrested for illegal cross-border fishing, the association said. The boat and the crew were released after the ship’s owner put up bail of ￥4 million (US$39,000), it said, adding that it was not sure when the ship would return to Taiwan. Wu told Japanese authorities that he was heading toward Japanese waters to retrieve fishing gear drifting in that direction when the boat suffered a mechanical failure and crossed into Japanese territory accidentally.
DIPLOMACY
Vietnam’s PM thanks Taiwan
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on Thursday praised Taiwan’s contribution to his nation’s economic development and expressed deep regret for the damage suffered by Taiwanese businesses during last month’s anti-China riots. Dung made the remarks while meeting a delegation led by Council of Taiwanese Chambers of Commerce in Vietnam chairwoman Liu Mei-te (劉美德), according to Vietnamese VTV9’s Web site. “Taiwan is one of Vietnam’s successful investment partners, and Taiwanese businesspeople serve as the bridge to link the close ties between the two sides,” Dung was quoted as saying. Liu expressed gratitude for the Vietnamese government’s support, and called for tax reductions to help the businesses that have suffered return to normal operation. Liu said that despite the riots, Taiwan’s businesses will still continue expanding their investments in Vietnam. The riots erupted on May 13 after Vietnamese crowds took to the streets to protest against a Chinese oil-drilling venture in an area of the South China Sea that is also claimed by Hanoi.
ENTERTAINMENT
Golden Melody ad released
A 30-second TV commercial for the 25th Golden Melody Awards was released yesterday to promote the annual event, which is to be held late this month. Featuring some of the nation’s biggest music stars, including Jay Chou (周杰倫), Chang Hui-mei (張惠妹, A-mei) and Jody Chiang (江惠), the commercial was directed by award-winning music video director Bill Chia (賈弘源). Chou, known as the king of Mandarin pop, Chiang, the diva of Taiwanese-language music, and “Pride of Taiwan” A-mei have racked up 132 nominations and 29 Golden Melody awards between them. The 25th Golden Melody Awards ceremony will be held at Taipei Arena on June 28, and the Taiwan Television Enterprise, which is hosting the awards show, is to broadcast the red carpet event and the ceremony live beginning at 5pm.
SOCIETY
Chinese identity poll released
A recent survey showed that less than 50 percent of Taiwan’s people recognized themselves as Chinese in the second quarter of this year. This was the first time the figure has dropped below 50 percent since the first quarter of last year, Hsieh Ming-hui (謝明輝), executive director of the Taiwan Competitiveness Forum (TCF), said on Thursday.
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
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS