SOCIETY
Chi Mei founder Hsu dies
Chi Mei Group founder Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍) passed away in hospital yesterday morning at the age of 95. Born in Tainan in 1928, Hsu founded Chi Mei Corp, the Chi Mei Hospital and the Chimei Museum, and dedicated his life to social welfare and promoting the arts. Presidential Office spokeswoman Lin Yu-chan (林聿禪) yesterday relayed President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) condolences to Hsu’s family. Hsu was well known in the international community and his Chimei Corp has been praised as a company that brings others happiness, Lin quoted Tsai as saying. Since his retirement, Hsu dedicated his time and energy to social welfare and the promotion of Taiwan’s arts and humanities, Lin said, adding that Hsu’s dedication to promoting local culture was commendable. Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) said that Hsu’s passing was a significant loss for residents of the city, and that his dedication and contributions to Taiwanese culture, art and democracy were irreplaceable and would never be forgotten. A number of politicians, including Vice President William Lai (賴清德), the Democratic Progressive Party’s presidential candidate, and Taiwan People’s Party Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), also expressed their condolences.
SOCIETY
Cartoonist Loic Hsiao dies
Artist Loic Hsiao (蕭言中), who was best known for his cartoons and his work as a theater director and TV host, died yesterday at the age of 58. Born in Nantou County in 1965, Hsiao had dreamed of becoming a cartoonist since he was young and studied at Fu-hsin Trade and Arts School’s Department of Arts and Crafts. In 1985, he published his first comic, Fairy Tales Untold (童話短路), and was propelled into the limelight, widely considered to be one of Taiwan’s four best cartoonists, along with Ao Yu-hsiang (敖幼祥), Chu Te-yung (朱德庸) and Tsai Chih-chung (蔡志忠). Hsiao had said that after being diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2019, he wanted his legacy to be his art and that he had always dreamed of creating a “cartoon city” to demonstrate to the public how cartoons can be meaningful works of art. He developed a unique painting method using simple strokes and in 2020 organized art exhibitions in Hualien and Paris, the event in the French capital prompting French President Emmanuel Macron to send Hsiao a letter of blessing.
SOCIETY
Zoo to remember panda
Taipei Zoo is to hold a commemorative event today to mark the anniversary of giant panda Tuan Tuan’s (團團) death, the zoo said in a statement on Friday. Zoo director Chen I-tsung (諶亦聰) said that a video featuring Tuan Tuan and other pandas would be played from 10am to 3pm. Visitors are also invited to write blessing cards to mark the date. The 18-year-old giant panda died from gemistocytic astrocytoma on Nov. 19, Chen said. The zoo said that it had preserved Tuan Tuan’s bones and fur, and frozen its sperm and fibroblasts after its death. It said that it was in the process of registering taxidermist Lin Wen-lung’s (林文龍) work on Tuan Tuan’s remains in accordance with the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法). It planned to open an exhibition highlighting endangered species, such as giant pandas, as well as gorillas and pangolins, in the first half of next year, the zoo added. Tuan Tuan’s unique physiology and scientific research materials would one day feature in a themed building for use by researchers and educators, Chen said.
SCENARIOS: A potential conflict with Beijing would not be similar to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and China would target energy and food supplies, a researcher said China is likely to continue using economic and cyberoperations against Taiwan to force it to capitulate without resorting to a military attack, Fox News reported yesterday, citing the outcome of a tabletop exercise. Washington-based think tank the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) earlier this month held a tabletop exercise in Taipei focusing on Beijing’s use of economic and cybercoercion against Taiwan. The FDD mentioned an “anaconda strategy,” in which Beijing would likely use cyberwarfare and disinformation campaigns followed by a blockade or other measures to strangulate Taiwan, rather than attempting an invasion, the report said. A large-scale cyberattack would be
HSINCHU CASES: Five people among 35 who were reported being sick were still in hospital after eating at a vendor in a market in Jhubei, the local health agency said Thirty-five people have sought medical treatment for acute symptoms after allegedly eating banh mi (Vietnamese sandwiches) from a vendor in Jhubei City (竹北), the Hsinchu County Public Health Bureau said yesterday. The bureau said that since Saturday, it has received several reports of suspected food poisoning from hospitals. The vendor has been ordered to temporarily suspend its business, it said, adding that tests were being conducted to determine whether the people had food poisoning, with results expected in about two weeks. A preliminary investigation showed that the people who sought treatment had recently eaten banh mi at a vendor at a retail market
GOOD MODEL: Speaking at his book launch, Law said that Taiwan is the most democratic Chinese-speaking country, which is why Hong Kongers relocated here China has suffocated Hong Kong’s civil society and its next target could be Taiwan, Nathan Law (羅冠聰), cofounder of the disbanded pro-democracy Hong Kong political party Demosisto, said in Taipei yesterday. Law made the remarks at a launch in Taipei for his book When the Wind Blows — the Struggles for Freedom of Hong Kong (時代推著我們前行:羅冠聰的香港備忘錄). Law has been living in the UK since he fled Hong Kong in 2020, and the book is about his fighting for the cause of freedom in the area. He was granted political asylum in 2021. “Fleeing is a long and distressing process, but it also
IMITATING OTHERS? Tsai Ing-wen’s office said the former president rents a commercial unit for her personal office and had never used election funds to purchase real estate Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday confirmed that he used about NT$43 million (US$1.35 million) from his presidential election subsidy to purchase an office unit near the Legislative Yuan in May. Ko made the remarks after Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) earlier in the day told a news conference that she received a tip-off that the TPP chairman had purchased a 48.76 ping (161.2m2) office unit at Jinan Building (濟南大樓), a commercial building in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正). Lin said that Ko purchased the unit on May 10, paying about NT$43 million in cash,