TRANSPORTATION
No change in TPass price
Despite an expected increase in electricity rates next month, the price of the TPass is to remain unchanged, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday in Taipei. For example, the “Taipei-New Taipei-Keelung-Taoyuan” TPass will still be priced at NT$1,200 (US$37.55), even if fares on certain public transport systems were to increase, Wang said, adding that a special government budget would cover potential deficits. Electricity accounts for about 10 percent of the operating costs of Taiwan Railway Corp and Taiwan High-Speed Rail, he said. Discussions are under way about potential increases for Taiwan Railway and intercity bus ticket prices, which have not changed for 28 years and 18 years respectively, he said. The government is expected to partly subsidize medium to long-haul trips for both services, while potential losses from short-haul trips would be covered by revenue generated by the TPass scheme, he said.
LOTTERY
Millions in prizes unclaimed
Two prizes for NT$10 million and four for NT$2 million have not yet been claimed since the winning numbers for the November-December invoice lottery draw was announced, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. One of the NT$10 million winning receipts was food purchases of NT$144 at a 7-Eleven in New Taipei City’s Tamsui District (淡水), while the other was for cigarettes costing NT$125 at a FamilyMart in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), the ministry said. The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize was 63603594, while the serial number for the NT$2 million grand prize draw was 73155944. The winners have until May 6 to claim their prizes.
SOCIETY
Youth protection mulled
Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) on Thursday ordered a review of proposals to establish a special agency to protect children and young people. Chen has instructed Cabinet Secretary-General Li Men-yen (李孟諺) to hold meetings with representatives from government bodies to discuss the matter, Cabinet spokesman Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) told a news conference. The Ministry of Health and Welfare should conduct a comprehensive review of the placement process for children in foster care, procedures for handling child abuse, and clearly delineate the responsibilities of central and local governments, Chen said. The ministry said in a news release that the role of competent local authorities in charge of social affairs needs to be strengthened, including the supervision of foster caregivers and the institutions they work with. Local governments should assess the necessity of adoption and arrange for the placement and care of children before their adoption, it said. They also need to review the frequency of visits to children in foster care by social workers and formulate guidelines to bolster supervision, it said.
ENVIRONMENT
Hotels to mark ‘Earth Hour’
Several hotel operators are to turn off their lights in public areas for an hour this evening in support of the annual “Earth Hour,” which aims to raise public awareness of environmental issues. LDC Hotel & Resorts Group said its hotels, including Palais de Chine Hotel and Fleur de Chine Hotel Sun Moon Lake, are to join the initiative. Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel said it has planned eco-friendly activities on weekends this month to help people incorporate environmental friendliness into their daily lives.
Taiwan’s passport ranked 34th in the world, with access to 141 visa-free destinations, according to the latest update to the Henley Passport Index released today. The index put together by Henley & Partners ranks 199 passports globally based on the number of destinations holders can access without a visa out of 227, and is updated monthly. The 141 visa-free destinations for Taiwanese passport holders are a slight decrease from last year, when holders had access to 145 destinations. Botswana and Columbia are among the countries that have recently ended visa-free status for Taiwanese after “bowing to pressure from the Chinese government,” the Ministry
Theaters and institutions in Taiwan have received 28 threatening e-mails, including bomb threats, since a documentary critical of China began being screened across the nation last month, the National Security Bureau said yesterday. The actions are part of China’s attempts to undermine Taiwan’s sovereignty, it said. State Organs (國有器官) documents allegations that Chinese government officials engage in organ harvesting and other illegal activities. From last month to Friday last week, 28 incidents have been reported of theaters or institutions receiving threats, including bomb and shooting threats, if they did not stop showing the documentary, the bureau said. Although the threats were not carried out,
HEALTHCARE: Following a 2022 Constitutional Court ruling, Taiwanese traveling overseas for six months would no longer be able to suspend their insurance Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday. The decision followed the Constitutional Court’s ruling in 2022 that the regulation was unconstitutional and that it would invalidate the regulation automatically unless the NHIA amended it to conform with the Constitution. The agency would amend the regulations to remove the articles and sections that allow the suspension of NHI services, and also introduce provisional clauses for those who suspended their NHI services before Dec. 23, Shih said. According to
‘GRAY ZONE’ TACTICS: China continues to build up its military capacity while regularly deploying jets and warships around Taiwan, with the latest balloon spotted on Sunday The US is drawing up contingency plans for military deployments in Japan and the Philippines in case of a Taiwan emergency, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. They would be incorporated in a first joint operation plan to be formulated in December, Kyodo reported late on Sunday, citing sources familiar with Japan-US relations. A US Marine Corps regiment that possesses High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems — a light multiple rocket launcher — would be deployed along the Nansei Island chain stretching from Kyushu to Yonaguni near Taiwan, Kyodo said. According to US military guidelines for dispatching marines in small formations to several locations,
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