DEFENSE
Ministry silent about command post
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday neither confirmed nor denied a media report that it is cooperating with the Freeway Bureau and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to establish a command center at the Hsuehshan Tunnel’s (雪山隧道) control center in New Taipei City’s Pinglin (坪林) area. The new command center would be able to assume operations from the Hengshan Command Center in Taipei’s Dazhi (大直) area in the event of armed conflict, the media report said. The defense ministry only said that it moves assets based on analysis of enemy threats and defense needs. Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) yesterday said that information about any planned command center’s location should be considered classified, and implored government agencies to protect such information.
EARTHQUAKE
Quake rattles Kaohsiung
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook Kaohsiung at 9:50am yesterday, the Central Weather Bureau said. It was centered 58.5km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall in Jiaxian District, at a depth of 8.4km, the bureau’s Seismology Center said. The intensity, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, was highest in Kaohsiung, where it measured 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, CWB data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Tainan, Chiayi County and Yunlin County, and 2 in Chiayi City and Nantou County. No damage or injuries from the earthquake were reported.
ASTRONOMY
Saturn and Mars conjoin
Stargazers have a chance to see Saturn and Mars in rare proximity in the hours before sunrise today, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The planets will be visible low in the eastern sky from 4am to 6am, separated by only 20 minutes of arc, or one-third of one degree, the museum said. The width of a small finger held at arm’s length covers about one degree in the sky. The planets should be clearly visible with the naked eye, but observers should select a location that offers an unobstructed view of the eastern horizon given that the planets will appear low in the sky, the museum said, adding that the planetary conjunction of Saturn and Mars will remain visible for 10 days, weather permitting. The last time the two planets appeared so close was in 1978, when they were separated by just 6 minutes of arc, or one-tenth of one degree. The next occasion to see them this close will be 2036, the museum said.
SPORTS
Filipinos compete in Taiwan
A two-day basketball and volleyball tournament featuring more than a dozen Filipino teams opened yesterday in Taichung, in an event held to promote unity through sports. The opening ceremony began with a march in which the teams — comprised of members of the Samahang Ilocano, a Filipino organization of students linked by the Ilocano language — were judged for the best uniform. The organization says its mission is to unify Filipino communities through sports and cultural events, and provide assistance to those in need. The second day of the tournament is to be held in Kaohsiung’s Daliao District (大寮)on May 1, with six teams competing in a playoff round before the semi-finals. The annual tournament began in 2017, although it was suspended last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Taiwan, Samahang Ilocano has 13 sub-chapters and about 800 members, mostly Filipinos working in Taiwan.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
President William Lai (賴清德) should protect Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), and stop supporting domestic strife and discord, former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) wrote on Facebook yesterday. US President Donald Trump and TSMC on Monday jointly announced that the company would invest an additional US$100 billion over the next few years to expand its semiconductor manufacturing operations in the US. The TSMC plans have promoted concern in Taiwan that it would effectively lead to the chipmaking giant becoming Americanized. The Lai administration lacks tangible policies to address concerns that Taiwan might follow in Ukraine’s footsteps, Ma wrote. Instead, it seems to think it could
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
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