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.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
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