CRIME
Gold factories raided
Two factories allegedly dumped toxic waste from gold refining operations in mountainous areas, the New Taipei City Government said on Tuesday, adding that authorities seized about NT$70 million (US$2.2 million) of half-finished gold products. The New Taipei City Environmental Protection Department earlier this year said it received a tip-off alleging that a factory in a mountainous area of Linkou District (林口) had used nitric acid to extract gold from waste materials such as printed circuit boards and dental crowns. After the refining, the factory dumped the toxic nitric acid waste, the department said. The waste contained heavy metals such as copper, nickel and chromium, and plants withered where it was dumped, it said. The department, police and prosecutors formed a task force led by the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office, it said. The investigation found that a factory in Hsinchu County’s Sinpu Township (新埔) had also allegedly released toxic waste. The task force searched the Sinpu factory on June 4 and the New Taipei City site on Sept. 3. The June 4 raid showed that toxic waste was being released into a mountainous area, the department said. Four people were arrested, it said.
POLITICS
Students discuss democracy
A US non-governmental organization in Taipei on Tuesday hosted a forum for young people, at which dozens of students shared their observations of Taiwan’s democratic system. The Polarization and Reconciliation: Youth Forum on Democratic Resilience was organized by the International Republican Institute in cooperation with the Central News Agency (CNA). The participants, most of whom were undergraduate or postgraduate students, exchanged views on events that have divided Taiwanese society, such as the recent passage of amendments to government oversight laws and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2019. The future of the amendments, pushed through by opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party lawmakers at the end of May despite the disagreements of Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers, now hinge on a ruling by the Constitutional Court. Those events and the reaction to them reflected the polarization of Taiwan’s politics and society, which CNA editor-in-chief Chris Wang (王思捷) attributed in part to the effects of “politainment.” Politicians are increasingly using dramatic methods to communicate their agendas or undermine their rivals, which the media amplify through extensive coverage, Wang said. Tuesday’s event was part of the Washington-based International Republican Institute’s program to foster discussion on democracy among young people in Taiwan, said Loa Lok-sin (賴昱伸), a program manager at the institute’s Taiwan office.
CRIME
Taiwanese arrested in Seoul
A Taiwanese woman has been arrested in South Korea and faces extradition to China for allegedly kidnapping and murdering a Chinese and an American in the Philippines in June. The Criminal Investigation Bureau on Tuesday said that the suspect, identified by her surname, Chen (陳), is a 44-year-old Taiwanese who was born in Taipei. Chinese media firm Red Star News on Monday reported that Chen — initially referred to as Lee Na (李娜) — would be extradited to China after being arrested in Seoul. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs would assist in handling matters related to the extradition case, the bureau said.
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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OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
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