CRIME
Three officers indicted
Three officers from the Military Intelligence Bureau have been indicted on suspicion of making up sources to claim performance bonuses totaling NT$16.4 million (US$528,759), the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Three officers — a male lieutenant colonel surnamed Su (蘇), a male lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsu (徐) and a female officer surnamed Chiang (江) — were indicted on corruption, forgery and money laundering charges. The trio were involved in a similar scheme for which Su (蘇) and a female colonel of the same surname were indicted last year, prosecutors said. The two Su’s allegedly received more than NT$10 million in performance rewards by providing fabricated intelligence supposedly obtained from “Liang Fang” (梁方), a fictitious Chinese intelligence officer, prosecutors said. A subsequent investigation found that Chiang and Hsu also worked with the male Su to similarly obtain performance bonuses, prosecutors added. The male Su and Chiang claimed NT$10 million in bonuses from 2016 to last year, while the other Su and Hsu claimed NT$1.4 million from 2017 to 2021, prosecutors said. In addition, the male Su also fraudulently claimed NT$1.9 million and US$100,000 between 2018 and 2019, prosecutors said.
SOCIETY
Lottery tickets unclaimed
Owners of seven unclaimed NT$10 million and five unclaimed NT$2 million winning receipts from Taiwan’s July-August invoice lottery last year have until today to claim their prizes, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday. The unclaimed NT$10 million winning receipts include a NT$26 receipt issued by a 7-Eleven in Hsinchu’s East District (東區), a NT$55 receipt issued by a beverage shop in Taichung’s Situn District (西屯), and an NT$89 purchase of drinks and bread at a 7-Eleven in New Taipei City’s Sanchong District (三重). The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize in the July-August lottery was 21981893, the ministry said. Meanwhile, receipts of the five unclaimed NT$2 million grand prizes include a NT$33 spend issued by Apple’s App Store, a NT$85 receipt issued by Mos Burger in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義), and a NT$242 receipt issued by a 7-Eleven in Taoyuan’s Taoyuan District (桃園). The other two are a NT$1,573 receipt issued by a steakhouse in Taichung’s Nantun District (南屯), and an NT$190 receipt for a top-up at a FamilyMart in Kaohsiung’s Siaogang District (小港). The serial number for the NT$2 million grand prize was 39597522.
SOCIETY
Eleven days off this year
Workers are to have a total of 11 days off work, excluding weekends, for the celebration of public holidays this year, the Ministry of the Interior said on Wednesday. In addition to New Year’s Day, the 10 other public holidays this year are the four-day Lunar New Year holiday, Feb. 28 Peace Memorial Day, Children’s Day, Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Double Ten National Day, the ministry said in a press release. However, workers in the private sector, including banks and financial markets, are to receive an extra day off on Labor Day in May. Meanwhile, the ministry said indigenous people are also to receive one day off to celebrate an Indigenous Ceremonial Holiday, with dates to be announced by the Council of Indigenous Peoples based on indigenous communities’ customs. If a public holiday falls on a weekend, workers are to be compensated with a day off, in accordance with the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法) and other regulations, the ministry said.
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
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