MILITARY
Soldier suspect in vape case
A conscript surnamed Tsao (曹) is suspected of smuggling more than 50 “zombie vapes” into a training center, the Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office said yesterday. Tsao, who serves in the First Battalion of the 109th Infantry Brigade, was allegedly found with the e-cigarette devices at a training center in Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口) on Sunday during a security check, the Sixth Army Command said in a statement. Several other military personnel are suspected to be involved. “Zombie vapes” contain etomidate, a type of central nervous system depressant that can induce anesthesia. Prosecutors did not reveal more details of the case, although it is understood that their request to detain Tsao was denied. The unit would fully cooperate with the investigation and reinforce its anti-drug education program and policies, the Sixth Army Command said. The Food and Drug Administration is to meet today to discuss reclassifying etomidate as a Category 2 narcotic.
ENVIRONMENT
Agency eyes anti-iguana plan
The Ministry of Agriculture yesterday said it would take more serious action, including the use of firearms, to deal with invasive green iguanas, whose growing population is threatening agriculture in the south. The ministry plans to establish a specialized team and work with local governments to deal with the reptiles, and is considering the use of firearms, Minister of Agriculture Chen Junne-jih (陳駿季) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Rice and red bean crops are being affected by the rapidly reproducing iguanas, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lai Jui-lung (賴瑞隆) said. The Pingtung County Government raised its budget to deal with the issue to NT$3 million from NT$2 million (US$92,450 from US$61,633), and expects to spend NT$6 million to deal with about 30,000 green iguanas this year, Lai said. Nearly 200,000 green iguanas are in Taiwan and about 190,000 have been captured since 2021, Chen said. The ministry needs an appropriate budget to deal with the problem, he added. It plans to work with local governments to explore the possibility of using firearms, which have been used to remove invasive species in the past, and would conduct training and workshops beforehand. The ministry also plans to create a platform to handle iguana control at river and border areas, he added.
CRIME
Three held for fake car plates
Three people have been arrested for selling fake vehicle license plates made in China, amid a surge in criminal activity involving vehicles with fake plates, Kaohsiung police said on Tuesday. At a news conference, police said three suspects — a 32-year-old from Tainan and two people aged 26 and 29 from Kaohsiung — were apprehended separately for selling more than 500 fake China-made license plates. Eight buyers were questioned by police, who seized eight sets of fake plates. Police said a crackdown on fake license plates was launched following an increase in their use on vehicles involved in drunk driving and speeding cases, as well as other criminal activity. Police identified the three suspects, surnamed Huang (黃), Lin (林) and Hsieh (謝), who were posting advertisements on social media offering fake license plates. The suspects placed orders with companies in China for their Taiwanese customers, selling the plates for NT$6,000 to NT$8,000 per set. The suspects also used dummy accounts to deposit income made from their illegal activities and laundered the money abroad through payment apps, such as Alipay, and cryptocurrency, police said.
Staff writers, with CNA
‘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
RSS