■ Appointments
Huang to join the MAC
Huang Wei-fong (黃偉峰), an associate researcher in European and American Studies at Academia Sinica, has been tapped to be a vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC), media reports said yesterday. Chiu Tai-shan (邱太三), the first MAC vice chairman, confirmed that Huang is being considered for the MAC post, but said the appointment will not be final until the Cabinet makes an announcement. Huang, 39, who has a master's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a PhD in political science from Oxford University, is versed in contemporary Western political theories, American and British politics, EU politics, election strategies and political sociology. Huang, a son of former Central Election Commission Chairman Huang Shih-cheng (黃石城), will be the third MAC vice chairman.
■ Justice
Publisher accepts sentence
Scoop magazine's Publisher Shen Jung (沈嶸) said on Friday she will not appeal her sentence of two years in prison in the Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳) sex-VCD case. A district court's verdict sentenced her to two years and two months but on Friday, the Taiwan High Court decreased her sentence to two years. Although Shen said she will not appeal, other defendants in the case said they have not made up their minds regarding appealing to the Supreme Court. Shen was indicted after prosecutors argued the magazine was "selling the private lives of others for profit" by giving away copies of the VCD.
■ Cross-strait ties
Matsu faithful head to China
More than 800 Taiwan followers of Matsu, the goddess of the sea, will attend the first Matsu Cultural Festival in Tianjin, northern China on Sept. 25, sources said yesterday. An 11-member delegation from Tianjin City visited Chenlan Temple (鎮瀾宮) in Tachia (大甲) in central Taiwan in July. They invited officials and followers from Taiwan's largest Matsu temple to attend the festival and escort a statue of the goddess to China to be enshrined in Tianjin's Matsu Temple. The temple, established in 1326, was the northernmost "home" of Matsu -- a goddess who has been worshipped for thousands of years by the Chinese, but mostly by people from coastal areas. A major rejuvenation of the temple is scheduled to be completed by the end of this month after it was severely damaged during the Cultural Revolution.
■ Politics
Cross-strait talks urged
The Association of Penghu Residents in Taipei City announced a "Peace Declaration" at the Grand Hotel yesterday, urging leaders on either side of the Taiwan Strait to reduce arms procurement. The group also urged the holding of peace negotiations in Penghu to establish a "Great Chinese Economic Alliance." Lu Chun-hui (盧春輝), the chief of the association, said yesterday that Penghu Island has been a bridge between Chinese and Taiwanese immigrants for the past 700 years. The association advocates the transfer of Penghu from a midway island to an area consigned by the UN. Lu said the association will promote referendums on whether to maintain Penghu's status quo or alter Penghu from a county to a special administrative district subordinate to the Executive Yuan.
SEND A MESSAGE: Sinking the amphibious assault ship, the lead warship of its class, is meant to show China the US Navy is capable of sinking their ships, an analyst said The US and allied navies plan to sink a 40,000-tonne ship at the latest Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise to simulate defeating a Chinese amphibious assault on Taiwan. This year’s RIMPAC — the 29th iteration of the world’s largest naval exercise — involves the US, 28 partners, more than 25,000 personnel, 40 warships, three submarines and more than 150 aircraft operating in and around Hawaii from yesterday to Aug. 1, the US Navy said in a press release. The major components of the event include multidomain warfare exercises in multiship surface engagements, anti-submarine warfare and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
The airspace around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) is to be closed for an hour on July 25 and July 23 respectively, due to the Han Kuang military exercises, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The annual exercise is to be held on Taiwan proper and its outlying islands from July 22 to 26. During last year’s exercise, the military conducted anti-aircraft landing drills at the Taoyuan airport for the first time, for which a one-hour no-fly ban was issued. Based on a live-fire bulletin sent out by the Maritime and Port Bureau, the nation’s
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of