CULTURE
Taichung to host Double Ten
The annual fireworks display on Double Ten National Day is to be held on Oct. 10 at Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港) in Taichung, Deputy Minister of the Interior Hua Ching-chun (花敬群) said yesterday. National Day and the fireworks display play an important role in unifying people and drawing international attention, Hua, secretary-general of the National Day Preparation Committee, said in a statement. President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫?), who chairs the National Day committee, have expressed their support for having Taichung serve as the venue this year, Hua said. Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said it was the good fortune of Taichung residents to be able to watch the fireworks in person this year rather than on television.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
St Kitts gets YouBikes
The Taipei City Government yesterday announced the donation of 50 retired first-generation YouBikes to Saint Christopher and Nevis. The donation symbolized the firm friendship between Taiwan and the Caribbean country, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. He added that the city government is scheduled to launch a program allowing YouBike users to ride for free for the first 30 minutes. St Christopher and Nevis Ambassador Donya Francis said he was “excited” about the donation, which was indicative of the “strong and admirable friendship” between the two nations. The bicycles would be used as part of a local initiative to create a healthy lifestyle centered on healthy eating practices, consistent physical activity, and regular health checks and screenings, he said. Thanking Chiang and his administration, he said he looks forward to collaboration opportunities between the Embassy of St Christopher and Nevis in Taipei and the Taipei City Government.
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Envoy reshuffle approved
The Cabinet has approved proposed reshuffle of diplomatic personnel, a source familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Douglas Hsu (徐佑典), who heads the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ North American Affairs Department, is to replace Elliott Charng (常以立) as the representative to Australia, while Sharon Wu (吳尚年), head of the ministry’s International Organizations Department, is to head Taiwan’s office in Poland, replacing Bob Chen (陳龍錦), who is to become the envoy to Bahrain, the source said. Deputy Representative to the US Wang Liang-yu (王良玉) is to take over Hsu’s post, while Jonathan Sun (孫儉元), the top envoy in Boston, is to replace Wu. No specific dates were given when the new postings are to take effect.
POLITICS
Lee quits Yonghe race
Political commentator Lee Cheng-hao (李正皓) on Thursday night announced on Facebook that he has dropped his bid for a legislative seat in New Taipei City’s Yonghe District (永和). The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) on May 24 announced that it was working with Lee, an independent, to secure a seat in the constituency. The decision drew objections from some DPP staffers, who urged the party’s nomination committee to reconsider, citing previous sexual allegations against Lee. Lee has denied the allegations, adding that a court has cleared him of the accusations. The DPP has become mired in discussion over a wave of allegations of sexual harassment, and his withdrawal would give DPP Chairman William Lai (賴清德) breathing room to resolve gender issues within the party, Lee said. DPP Secretary-General Hsu Li-ming (許立明) yesterday said the party respects Lee’s decision.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
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