CRIME
Media personality indicted
Prosecutors yesterday indicted media personality Lucifer Chu (朱學恒) on charges of indecent assault following a probe into claims he groped and forcibly kissed Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chung Pei-chun (鍾沛君) at a restaurant on Aug. 6 last year. Chu could face between six months and five years in prison if found guilty, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said in a statement. In a social media post on June 8, Chung wrote that a few days after the incident, she, accompanied by her lawyer, had demanded that Chu write and sign a letter of apology and to promise to stay away from her. However, Chu’s letter made no mention of the “indecent assault,” Chung said. She later filed a complaint with prosecutors against Chu, who she said had shown “no remorse for his behavior.”
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
EDUCATION
Mandarin immersion offered
National Sun Yat-sen University (NSYSU) yesterday said that a Mandarin immersion school at its Kaohsiung campus operated by the Vermont-based Middlebury College is to begin enrolling US college students in spring next year. Students at the Middlebury School in Taiwan are to take classes in culture, politics, media, translation, geography, history, religion, environment, economics and literature taught entirely in Chinese, NSYSU said in a statement. The school, which was established following a visit by Middlebury College’s dean of international programs Carlos Velez-Blasini to the university earlier this year, requires students to sign a “language pledge” promising to speak the local language for the duration of their stay in Kaohsiung, the statement added. Enrollment is open to US students who have studied Mandarin in college for at least two years, NSYSU president Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said.
POLITICS
Presidential debates coming
The first televised policy presentation for candidates contesting the Jan. 13 presidential election is to be held on Dec. 20, the Central Election Commission (CEC) said yesterday. The candidates will be able to present their policies in three televised sessions: Dec. 20, 7pm; Dec. 26, 2pm; and Dec. 28, 7pm, the CEC said in a statement. A similar session is scheduled for vice presidential candidates at 7pm on Dec. 22. The presentations are not the same as debates where candidates can quickly respond to the claims of rivals. Instead, there will be three rounds, with each candidate given 10 minutes to present their views in each round. However, they can respond to comments another candidate made in those 10 minutes.
TRAVEL
Cathay cancels Israel flights
Cathay Pacific Airways yesterday said it has suspended all flights on its Hong Kong-Tel Aviv route until the end of the year, effective immediately, due to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. Passengers already on their way to the airport who have yet to receive a notification about the suspension should check their flight’s status using the booking management service on Cathay’s Web site, the Hong Kong-based carrier said in a statement. Passengers who have yet to travel can apply for a full refund, with Taiwan-based ticket holders advised to contact Cathay’s local customer service line at (02) 7752-4883. For those who have booked tickets to depart for Israel after Dec. 31 and wish to change their travel plans, the airline said it offers ticket-exemption measures to provide flexible options.
‘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
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
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as