CRIME
Executive indicted over fire
Launch Technologies Co chairman Liu An-hao (劉安皓) and five other executives have been charged with negligent homicide over the deaths of 10 people in a fire on Sept. 22 last year, the Pingtung District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. The company was earlier fined NT$2.4 million (US$76,793) for failing to fully disclose the contents of the golf ball factory in Pingtung, including nearly 3 tonnes of illegally stored organic peroxides. Among those killed by the blaze and subsequent explosions were four firefighters, who were not provided the necessary rescue information by Launch Technologies, investigators said. The company also failed to assign a person to the site to assist the fire commander in accordance with the law, they said. Liu, along with general manager Lu Ying-cheng (呂英誠) and an assistant vice president surnamed Cheng (鄭) had been indicted on charges including causing death and injury through negligence, prosecutors said. Liu, Lu and Cheng have been ordered to post bail of NT$6 million, NT$5 million and NT$4.5 million respectively, they said.
SOCIETY
Tree trimming draws fire
Extensive trimming of a 1km stretch of Madagascar almond trees along a road in Taitung’s Luye Township (鹿野) yesterday drew criticism, although the local government defended it as necessary. Photos of the scenic roadway — known as a “green tunnel” — were widely shared in local media yesterday, showing the trees’ branches cut back into leafless knobs left barely protruding from their trunks. A farmer whose field borders the roadway said the trees needed to be periodically trimmed so they would not block crops’ access to sunlight or spread debris when a typhoon hit. “Tourism is important, but you also have to consider farmers’ livelihoods,” he said. Luye Township Mayor Lee Wei-shun (李維順) said the trees need to be cut back quite aggressively, as their roots can damage roadside gutters and pavements if they are left unchecked.
TRANSPORTATION
Taichung to add Blue Line
The Ministry of Transportation and Communications yesterday said it had approved plans to build a new Blue Line on the Taichung Metro, but it would take an estimated 10 years before it is opened to the public. The new line would cost NT$161.51 billion (US$5.17 billion), with the central government providing NT$67.56 billion, the ministry said in a statement last night. The Blue Line is to begin at the Port of Taichung and travel eastward through Shalu (沙鹿) and Situn (西屯) districts before arriving in central Taichung. It will intersect with the Taichung Metro’s other existing line, the Green Line, and provide a major boost to the system’s service capacity and the balanced development of the city’s urban and rural sectors, the ministry added.
EARTHQUAKES
Two quakes strike Hualien
Two earthquakes measuring 5.2 and 4.9 in magnitude struck Hualien County at 2:11am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenters of the temblors were in Hualien’s Wanrong Township (萬榮) at a depth of 5 to 13km, the Seismology Center said. The earthquakes’ intensity was highest in Hualien’s Guangfu Township (光復), where it measured a 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quakes also reached level 3 in parts of Hualien and Nantou counties, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
PUBLISHING
Benesse to limit print
Benesse, publisher of the educational children’s magazine series featuring the cartoon tiger Chiao-Hu (巧虎), yesterday issued a notice that it would stop accepting new subscriptions for its print edition from March 1. About 1.83 million families with children have subscribed to the monthly magazine since it launched in Taiwan in 1989. The decision to stop accepting new subscriptions was based primarily on changes in print-based reading habits, the evolution of educational content and in response to climate change, it said. Benesse said the magazine would continue to be published for existing subscribers, and that its other Chiao-Hu products and services in Taiwan, including learning materials, a YouTube channel, cartoon series, stage show and Taoyuan amusement park, would remain available.
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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