TRAFFIC
Emu on the loose
A pet emu was captured while walking along a public thoroughfare without its owner on Yuguang Island (魚光島) off Tainan early on Saturday. It was confirmed that this was the second time the bird escaped from its enclosure in Anping District (安平) over the past two years. The emu was eventually captured by personnel dispatched by the Tainan City Agricultural Bureau after it received reports of the incident from the owner and members of the public, bureau officials said yesterday. The bird was handed to a company contracted by the bureau to care for it after the owner asked for assistance, expressing concern that the bird has escaped twice in two years. Yuguang Borough Warden Lin Ning-feng (林寧峰) said that the owner no longer wants to look after the bird and asked the bureau to find someone willing to house it. Emus are endemic to Australia and are the second-largest land bird after ostriches. With its three-toed legs, the flightless emu can reach a top running speed of 50kph.
Photo courtesy of Takao Nozaki
ARTS
Ko to star on stage
Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) confirmed he is to feature in the musical Dump the Garbage as himself in performances alongside actress Tammy Lai (賴佩霞). Lai was the running mate of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) in January’s presidential election. TPP spokeswoman Wu Yi-hsuan (吳怡萱) on Friday said that Ko accepted the role in the musical after the stage director and Lai invited him to join, adding that party members supported his participation in the production, which centers on the topic of urban renewal. Ko’s condition was that his character must be a relatively accurate reflection of his personality, Wu said. Dump the Garbage has seven performances lined up, with four in Taipei scheduled for next month, one in Kaohsiung in June and two in Taichung in September.
MILITARY
Sergeant declared dead
A sergeant, surnamed Chiang (江), of the Marine Corps 66 Brigade, was declared dead on Friday despite his girlfriend calling the ambulance after finding him unconscious in his car. The Marine Corps Command expressed its regrets in a statement saying Chiang died from “committing self-harm” on his day off. It would provide surviving family members with assistance, it said, adding that an investigation is being launched. The statement added that the command would continue efforts to raise awareness of stress, encourage a positive attitude, and encourage people to cherish their lives. In other news, the Military Police Command has denied claims that its service personnel, especially on shift at the Presidential Office, were overworked. The denial was in response to medical reports that an armed military guard at the Presidential Office, surnamed Ku (古), committed suicide while at his post earlier this month because of overwork, working for two hours and resting for two hours before reporting for duty again. The command said it is investigating measures to reduce workloads and ensure respect of individual rights.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
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