A trial program that offered Russians visa-free entry has not been renewed after it expired on July 31, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday.
Russia was part of the trial launched in 2018 offering citizens of Brunei, the Philippines, Russia and Thailand visa exemptions.
The program has since been renewed several times, but Russia was removed when it was in July extended for another year, the ministry said.
Taiwan suspended visa-free entry for all foreign nonresidents in March 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In a move to ease restrictions, the Bureau of Councilor Affairs on Tuesday announced that travelers from select countries would from tomorrow again be allowed to enter the nation on visa exemptions, but Brunei, the Philippines, Russia and Thailand are not on the list.
However, the trial program would remain in place, the ministry said.
The reintroduction of visa exemptions followed similar moves by countries around the world. So far, it covers citizens of the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and several European countries.
Japan, South Korea and other countries that offered visa-free entry to Taiwanese before the pandemic are not on the bureau’s list.
The ministry said Russia was included in the trial to boost tourism and bilateral trade.
The ministry is reviewing the effects of such measures, it added.
Russia does not grant visa-free entry to Taiwanese, the country’s representative office in Taipei says on its Web site.
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
RSS