■ Transportation
ETC trial run begins
A 10-day trial run of the electronic Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system began yesterday and will end at midnight on Jan. 25. The trial will take place on eight stops along the north-south Formosa Freeway (Freeway 3) from Holong (後龍) in Miaoli County to Chutien (竹田) in Pingtung County. Two lanes have been allocated at toll booths for the trial run. Vehicles with on-board units (OBUs) are advised to use the innermost lanes. Ministry of Transport and Communications officials asked drivers to make sure they don't enter the wrong lane as offenders will be subject to a NT$3,000 fine. The ETC system was slated to begin operations on Jan. 1 but is now set to go into effect nationwide on Feb. 10. During the three-month promotion period for the system OBUs are priced at NT$680, with free installation. After the promotion period OBUs will be priced at NT$1180 and installation will cost NT$175. A deposit of NT$500 is also required. The ETC tolls will be NT$40 for small cars, NT$50 for buses and NT$65 for cars connected to trailers or other parts.
PHOTO: TSAI CHIH-MING, TAIPEI TIMES
■ Foreign labor
Airport aid now available
A service station was established yesterday at Chiang Kai-shek International Airport to help foreign laborers upon arrival. The service station will help with documentation checks and baggage claim, disputes with airport personnel, legal assistance and problems with laborers being mislead or cheated by unlawful bodies on their arrival in this country. Assistance will be given from the moment of arrival until the foreign workers are delivered to the hands of their employers or those who are collecting them at the airport. A service station will also be provided in the departure halls, where a hotline for last minute protests or objections will be available for those who have been unfairly dismissed or are being repatriated.
■ Society
Dog buyers cautioned
The number of people expected to buy dogs is expected to rise sharply as the Lunar New Year brings in the "Year of the Dog" so Council of Agriculture officials yesterday warned dog lovers to ensure their pets receive the necessary vaccinations, especially for rabies. Although Taiwan has been rabies free since the 1960s, the increase in trade between China and Taiwan means that extra caution should be taken since rabies is a serious problem in China, they said. Officials said that pet buyers should avoid buying pets whose origins are unknown. If any member of the public has suspicions about animal smuggling, they should call 0800031131.
■ Travel
Japan mulls driving rights
Japan is considering recognizing Taiwanese driver licenses, Japanese Minister of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Kazuo Kitagawa said on Sunday. He said that his ministry is discussing the issue with police authorities. Taiwanese tourists cannot use international drivers' licenses in Japan because Tokyo does not recognize Taiwanese licenses. As Taiwan is the second-largest source of tourists to Japan, Kitagawa said his ministry plans to recognize Taiwanese licenses in order to attract more Taiwanese visitors. Taiwanese made about 1.3 million visits to Japan last year.
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
Prosecutors today declined to say who was questioned regarding alleged forgery on petitions to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators, after Chinese-language media earlier reported that members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Youth League were brought in for questioning. The Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau confirmed that two people had been questioned, but did not disclose any further information about the ongoing investigation. KMT Youth League members Lee Hsiao-liang (李孝亮) and Liu Szu-yin (劉思吟) — who are leading the effort to recall DPP caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu (吳思瑤) and Legislator Wu Pei-yi (吳沛憶) — both posted on Facebook saying: “I
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
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