SOCIETY
Sinkhole prompts evacuation
Ten people who were placed in a hotel after a large sinkhole appeared in front of their homes in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義) on Saturday might need to wait up to two weeks before they are allowed to return, the Taipei City Government said yesterday. A small sinkhole appeared on Chongde Street (崇德街) at about 2:50pm on Saturday, believed to have been caused by nearby construction work. However, the sinkhole grew to 15m long and 3m wide, with a depth of 3m, and became larger at about 5:20pm, the city government said. The incident led to the evacuation of 16 households living nearby due to safety concerns, although no injuries were reported, it said. The sinkhole has been filled, but several safety conditions must be met before the evacuated residents of five affected households are permitted to return home, Department of Urban Development head Wang Yu-fen (王玉芬) said. Xinyi District Administrator Chen Kuan-ling (陳冠伶) said that each evacuated resident would receive an emergency resettlement subsidy of NT$1,600 per day from the city government for up to seven days. Any additional costs would be paid by the construction firm, Chen said.
TRAVEL
Airport handles 10m trips
Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport had by Tuesday handled 10 million passenger trips so far this year, Taoyuan International Airport Corp said. The airport expects to handle 28 million passenger trips this year, which would be 58 percent of the 2019 level before the COVID-19 pandemic, company chairman Yang Wei-fuu (楊偉甫) said in a statement. Transport capacity at the airport grew 68.6 percent from an average of 21,000 passengers a day on Oct. 13 last year, when Taiwan reopened its borders and eased virus restrictions, to a daily average of 91,000 last month, he said. By the end of last month, the percentage of airport shops operating had also reached 79 percent of the 2019 level, he added.
AVIATION
EVA Airways wins five stars
EVA Airways Corp has been certified by airline-ranking company Skytrax as a five-star airline for the eighth consecutive year, making it the only carrier in Taiwan to win the honor, the airline announced on Thursday. Only 10 airlines received a five-star rating from Skytrax this year, EVA Airways said in a statement. The decision to award the eighth consecutive five-star rating to the carrier represents Skytrax’s recognition of the consistently superb service provided by its staff, company president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said in a statement, adding that such awards motivate EVA Airways to continue improving its services to make passenger flights more comfortable. The other nine airlines to receive the five-star honor for this year were Singapore Airlines, All Nippon Airways, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Asiana Airlines, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Hainan Airlines and Garuda Indonesia.
HEALTH
Premier tests positive
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) canceled a planned public appearance yesterday after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday evening, acting Cabinet spokesman Lo Ping-cheng (羅秉成) said. Chen took a COVID-19 test after experiencing a cough and throat discomfort, Lo said, adding that his doctor has advised him to rest at home. Chen can report to work as usual by wearing a mask after his respiratory symptoms relieve, Lo quoted the doctor as saying.
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
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
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
RSS