TRAVEL
Passport drops in ranking
Taiwan’s passport was ranked the 72nd-most powerful globally, down three spots from last year, according to an annual index published by US consulting firm Nomad Capitalist. The index ranks 199 countries based on five factors: visa-free travel, which carries a 50 percent weighting; taxation (20 percent weighing); and perception, dual citizenship and personal freedom (10 percent weighing each). Taiwan’s passport scored 83 points on the index, which was topped by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) passport with 110.5 points. “This is largely due to recent changes allowing foreigners to apply for dual citizenship, which, combined with the travel freedoms afforded by a UAE passport, plus the country’s business-friendly environment and enviable tax system,” the firm said. Luxembourg and Switzerland were tied for second, followed by Ireland and Portugal in a tie. South Korea ranked 21st, Singapore 30th, Japan 38th and China 128th.
Photo: CNA
CULTURE
Opera singer dies at 72
Taiwanese opera singer Chen Mei-yun (陳美雲) passed away on Saturday night after a fall, the Chen Meiyun Opera Troupe (陳美雲歌劇團) said yesterday. She was 72 years old. Minister of Culture Shih Che (史哲) on Facebook thanked Chen for dedicating her life to Taiwanese opera, saying the energy and passion she brought to the stage were touching. Chen specialized in playing xiaosheng (小生, young male leads). She established her own troupe in 1979 to promote the traditional art form, and has won several awards and performed at the Presidential Office Building.
CULTURE
Events to celebrate troupe
The Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute on Saturday launched a series of special screenings to honor the Taiwanese contemporary dance troupe Cloud Gate Dance Theatre, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The screenings are to run through April 2 at the institute’s headquarters, featuring motion picture versions of the five works premiered by the dance troupe from 1994 to 2020. Five Asian movies have also been selected to correspond to Cloud Gate’s five works during the four-week program, including Indian Bengali-language drama The World of Apu by director Satyajit Ray, Poetry by South Korea’s Lee Chang-dong and Your Face by Taiwan’s Tsai Ming-liang (蔡明亮), which won Best Documentary at the Golden Horse Awards. The troupe is to tour Taiwan as part of the celebrations starting next month, performing its 1978 work Legacy curated by its founder, Lin Hwai-min (林懷民).
CRIME
Suspected IEDs found
Police on Feb. 25 detained a motorcyclist for allegedly possessing narcotics and “possible” improvised explosive devices (IEDs) on his vehicle, the Taipei City Police Department said yesterday. The 31-year-old suspect, surnamed Yang (楊), was found with two bags of amphetamine, five objects believed to be IEDs and 150 steel balls used in the manufacture of such devices, police said, adding that officers found the objects after pulling Yang over because he looked suspicious. Yang, who was unable to explain why he had the illegal items in his possession, told police he made them out of curiosity. Prosecutors might press charges based on the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act (毒品危害防制條例) and the Controlling Guns, Ammunition and Knives Act (槍砲彈藥刀械管制條例), police said. If the objects are confirmed to be IEDs, Yang could face at least seven years in jail and a fine of up to NT$30 million (US$979,528).
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
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we