Tigerair Taiwan yesterday said that on June 7 it would launch direct flights from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Puerto Princesa International Airport on Palawan Island in the Philippines.
This would be the budget airline’s third direct service to the Southeast Asian nation, following a direct service to Kalibo International Airport on Boracay Island launched on Tuesday last week and another to Mactan Cebu International Airport in Cebu that began at the end of last year.
Palawan is between Mindoro Island and Malaysia’s North Borneo.
It is reputed to be the last pristine land in the Philippines and has attracted visitors and scuba divers from around the world with its diverse fauna and flora, the airline said.
Puerto Princesa International Airport offers a convenient transport service for people to access the tourist attractions around the island, it said.
The airline said three flights would depart from Taoyuan every week, leaving at 1:15pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays, while return flights would leave from Puerto Princesa at 5:05pm on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
To celebrate the launch of the new service, the airline said that it will offer a limited number of discount tickets, with a one-way ticket costing NT$399 before tax.
The discount tickets would be available to book between 10am tomorrow and 11:59pm on Thursday, the airline said, adding that people purchasing the tickets must travel between June 7 and Oct. 18.
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