Donations to disaster relief funds for people affected by Tuesday’s earthquake in Hualien have exceeded NT$600 million (US$20.42 million) as of press time last night.
Hon Hai Precision Industry Co yesterday announced that its chairman, Terry Gou (郭台銘), and the company would donate NT$60 million each.
Formosa Plastics Group has donated NT$50 million.
Photo: CNA
The Lin Rung San Foundation of Culture and Social Welfare donated NT$30 million, while Union Bank of Taiwan donated NT$5 million.
Pegatron Corp chairman Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢) is to donate NT$30 million and he has asked Pegatron and its affiliated businesses to donate a combined NT$15 million.
The Financial Supervisory Commission announced that it would donate NT$20 million.
Fubon Financial Holding Co and its affiliate Taiwan Mobile Co donated a combined NT$15 million.
Taishin Financial Holdings Co, MediaTek Foundation, China Airlines, ASE Group, Compal Electronics Inc, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi Department Store Co and Shanghai Commercial and Savings Bank have each donated NT$10 million.
E.Sun Financial Holding Co and China Development Financial Holding Corp have also teamed up with their affiliates to donate NT$10 million each.
Tainan’s Tiantan Tiangong Temple donated NT$2 million and thanked the public for its support after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck that city on Feb. 6, 2016.
More politicians have joined the list of donors, including New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫), who donated NT$1 million on behalf of his city team.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said he would donate one month’s salary after not responding on Wednesday to reporters’ questions about whether he would make a donation.
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊), Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan (鄭文燦), Changhua Mayor Chiu Chien-fu (邱建富), Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) and Yunlin County Commissioner Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) have also donated one month’s salary.
Many entertainers have made donations, including band Mayday (五月天), which donated NT$5 million; Jay Chou (周杰倫), who donated NT$2 million; and Ella Chen (陳嘉樺) and Stephanie Hsiao (蕭薔), who each donated NT$1 million.
The illustrator Duncan, a Hualien native, donated NT$1 million.
Record label HIM International Music Inc also said its celebrities and employees would donate one day’s salary.
More agencies are also donating goods and supplies to assist earthquake relief efforts.
The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation donated 2,000 blankets, 2,000 scarves and chicken rice.
Taiwan Fertilizer Co donated 1,020 boxes of bottled water.
CPC Corp said it is to provide the Hualien County Government with free gasoline for its relief efforts.
Several hotels, including Lishin Hotel, Papago International Resort and East Coast Hotel, are also providing free accommodations to search-and-rescue workers and others affected by the earthquake.
Additional reporting by Chung Hung-liang and Lee Ching-hui
Death row inmate Huang Lin-kai (黃麟凱), who was convicted for the double murder of his former girlfriend and her mother, is to be executed at the Taipei Detention Center tonight, the Ministry of Justice announced. Huang, who was a military conscript at the time, was convicted for the rape and murder of his ex-girlfriend, surnamed Wang (王), and the murder of her mother, after breaking into their home on Oct. 1, 2013. Prosecutors cited anger over the breakup and a dispute about money as the motives behind the double homicide. This is the first time that Minister of Justice Cheng Ming-chien (鄭銘謙) has
Ferry operators are planning to provide a total of 1,429 journeys between Taiwan proper and its offshore islands to meet increased travel demand during the upcoming Lunar New Year holiday, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday. The available number of ferry journeys on eight routes from Saturday next week to Feb. 2 is expected to meet a maximum transport capacity of 289,414 passengers, the bureau said in a news release. Meanwhile, a total of 396 journeys on the "small three links," which are direct ferries connecting Taiwan's Kinmen and Lienchiang counties with China's Fujian Province, are also being planned to accommodate
BITTERLY COLD: The inauguration ceremony for US president-elect Donald Trump has been moved indoors due to cold weather, with the new venue lacking capacity A delegation of cross-party lawmakers from Taiwan, led by Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), for the inauguration of US president-elect Donald Trump, would not be able to attend the ceremony, as it is being moved indoors due to forecasts of intense cold weather in Washington tomorrow. The inauguration ceremony for Trump and US vice president-elect JD Vance is to be held inside the Capitol Rotunda, which has a capacity of about 2,000 people. A person familiar with the issue yesterday said although the outdoor inauguration ceremony has been relocated, Taiwan’s legislative delegation has decided to head off to Washington as scheduled. The delegation
TRANSPORT CONVENIENCE: The new ticket gates would accept a variety of mobile payment methods, and buses would be installed with QR code readers for ease of use New ticketing gates for the Taipei metro system are expected to begin service in October, allowing users to swipe with cellphones and select credit cards partnered with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), the company said on Tuesday. TRTC said its gates in use are experiencing difficulty due to their age, as they were first installed in 2007. Maintenance is increasingly expensive and challenging as the manufacturing of components is halted or becoming harder to find, the company said. Currently, the gates only accept EasyCard, iPass and electronic icash tickets, or one-time-use tickets purchased at kiosks, the company said. Since 2023, the company said it