WEATHER
Heavy rain warning issued
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a heavy rain warning, cautioning against sudden downpours in western parts of the country and the offshore counties in the next two days due to an approaching weather front with moisture-bearing southwestern winds. Penghu County residents were warned to be on the alert as rainfall of 130mm or more, accompanied by strong winds and lightning, is expected over the next 24 hours, the bureau said. The entire west coast from Taoyuan to Kaohsiung and Kinmen County is likely to see rainfall of up to 50mm over the same period, the bureau said. The rain is expected to abate on Thursday as a Pacific high-pressure system strengthens, the bureau said.
TOURISM
VAT refunds going online
Visitors will be able to claim their value-added tax (VAT) refund electronically, as well as at the airports and major shopping malls from the beginning of next year as part of efforts to make obtaining a VAT refund more convenient, Minister of Finance Chang Sheng-ford (張盛和) said. The new policy would eliminate the need for travelers to line up at airports to get their refund for the tax paid on purchases of at least NT$3,000 made in one day at one Tax Refund Shopping-posted store, he said. The online procedure for applying for a refund would be handled by Chunghwa Telecom Co, which would charge a transaction fee of 14 percent for each traveler’s refund, Chang said, adding that the government will not receive any income from the electronic refund handling fee. The refund period allowed between a purchase and the traveler’s departure would also be extended from 30 days to 90 days, he said.
SOCIETY
Man sets himself alight
A man was hospitalized in intensive care at National Taiwan University Hospital after setting himself on fire in front of the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall at about 2:25am yesterday. Police provided few details about the man, except to say that he was about 30, an average citizen and had suffered burns to 90 percent of his body. Chinese-language media reports said the man doused himself in flammable liquid, set himself alight and ran toward the main archway on the west side of the memorial complex before collapsing under the archway. Security personnel put out the fire.
SOCIETY
Luo Lan dies at age 96
Veteran radio show host and renowned essayist Luo Lan (羅蘭), whose real name was Chin Pei-fen (靳佩芬), died on Saturday at the age of 96 in a hospital in Taipei. She was one of the most popular radio presenters in Taiwan in the 1950s and 1960s, when radio was a main source of entertainment. Born in Tianjin, China, she gained fame for narrating the life experiences of people from all walks of life on her radio programs and compiling their stories into inspiring essays. She did not publish her first book until 1963, when she was already in her 40s. Her books became popular on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, including the Luo Lan Xiao Yu (羅蘭小語) series, a compilation of essays based on her broadcasts. She won her first literary prize in 1969, and the following year, the US Department of State invited her to visit the US. She won a Golden Bell award in 1974 for best radio program, and in 1979 she received a citation for social education from the Ministry of Education.
A decision to describe a Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement on Singapore’s Taiwan policy as “erroneous” was made because the city-state has its own “one China policy” and has not followed Beijing’s “one China principle,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) said yesterday. It has been a longstanding practice for the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to speak on other countries’ behalf concerning Taiwan, Tien said. The latest example was a statement issued by the PRC after a meeting between Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on the sidelines of the APEC summit
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
‘SIGN OF DANGER’: Beijing has never directly named Taiwanese leaders before, so China is saying that its actions are aimed at the DPP, a foundation official said National Security Bureau (NSB) Director-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥) yesterday accused Beijing of spreading propaganda, saying that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) had singled out President William Lai (賴清德) in his meeting with US President Joe Biden when talking about those whose “true nature” seek Taiwanese independence. The Biden-Xi meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit in Peru on Saturday. “If the US cares about maintaining peace across the Taiwan Strait, it is crucial that it sees clearly the true nature of Lai and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in seeking Taiwanese independence, handles the Taiwan question with extra
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
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