CRIME
Ex-councilor sentenced
Former Tainan Council speaker Lai Mei-hui (賴美惠) was handed a two-year jail sentence, suspended for four years, after being found guilty of fraudulently claiming expenses, the Tainan District Court said on Wednesday. The former Democratic Progressive Party city councilor was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service within three years and would be deprived of civil rights for two years, the court said. The ruling can be appealed. While serving as a Tainan councilor from 2010 to 2018, Lai hired her sister-in-law, surnamed Chen (陳), as an assistant to manage her office finances and another woman, surnamed Wu (吳).The three were charged with claiming assistant subsidy fees under the names of Wu’s sister and a friend of Lai’s sister, despite neither of them working as an assistant. From 2012 to 2014, Lai, Chen and Wu stole NT$2.35 million (US$74,435) from the public purse. The money was used to cover office expenses, including cash for red and white envelopes handed out to the public at weddings and funerals, the court said. Lai has surrendered the funds, which have been confiscated, the court added.
SPACE
Lilium-1 releases selfie
National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) on Wednesday released two selfies taken by Lilium-1, an university-developed cube satellite. The selfies, the first to be taken by a Taiwanese satellite, showed Lilium-1 passing over Australia facing the sun with its solar panels unfolded. Carried by a SpaceX rocket, Lilium-1 was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California into a low Earth orbit (LEO) of about 520km on Dec. 2 last year, NCKU said in a statement. Lilium-1 was the first satellite to be launched as part of a National Science and Technology Council project that is focused on researching and developing key CubeSat technologies, NCKU said in the statement, adding that a team consisting of personnel from NCKU, National Taiwan University and National Taiwan University of Technology and Tamkang University, as well as industry professionals, collaborated in the development of Lilium-1. The team would continue to work on developing and launching CubeSats Lilium-2 and Lilium-3, and would explore areas including high-frequency satellite communications, inter-satellite communications and smart remote sensing.
TRADE
Group urges China ties
A trade group on Wednesday urged president-elect William Lai (賴清德) to strengthen communication between Taiwan and China to maintain positive international relations. Lin Por-fong (林伯豐), chairman of the Third Wednesday Club, said that Taiwan should not rely exclusively on Japan and the US, as it also needs to engage in dialogue with China. Constructive communication and exchanges are essential for both sides to resolve their issues, Lin told reporters after holding the trade group’s monthly gathering. “Without the consent of China, Taiwan will find it challenging to go it alone,” Lin said. Joining trade pacts or blocs would also help boost Taiwan’s economy — whether it be the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement between Taiwan and China, or proposed membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Lin said. In addition, Lin called on the new government to reassess its energy policies, adding that maintaining stable electricity prices should be a top priority for business operations.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
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