The Central Weather Bureau’s (CWB) head forecaster yesterday dismissed an online rumor that a magnitude 6.5 earthquake is likely to hit Taichung in central Taiwan on Sunday or Monday, saying that there is no way to predict the time or magnitude of temblors.
An anonymous self-proclaimed “earthquake forecaster” recently said on Facebook that a 6.5 magnitude earthquake would jolt Taichung, and warned people to take earthquake safety precautions. The message has been widely circulated online.
CWB Director-General Shin Tzay-chyn (辛在勤) said the rumor is baseless.
Shin said it takes about 10 seconds to process a seismic wave before an earthquake occurs and another 0.15 seconds to send a warning message to earthquake notification app users, and there is no way to predict the time and location of an earthquake.
Under the Meteorological Act (氣象法), forecasts and alerts for earthquakes, typhoons or other dangerous weather events can only be issued by the bureau, and individuals and private firms that release unauthorized forecasts face fines of between NT$200,000 and NT$1 million (US$6,125 to US$30,626), Shin said.
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,
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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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