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
The Taipei City Government yesterday said contractors organizing its New Year’s Eve celebrations would be held responsible after a jumbo screen played a Beijing-ran television channel near the event’s end. An image showing China Central Television (CCTV) Channel 3 being displayed was posted on the social media platform Threads, sparking an outcry on the Internet over Beijing’s alleged political infiltration of the municipal government. A Taipei Department of Information and Tourism spokesman said event workers had made a “grave mistake” and that the Television Broadcasts Satellite (TVBS) group had the contract to operate the screens. The city would apply contractual penalties on TVBS
The lowest temperature in a low-lying area recorded early yesterday morning was in Miaoli County’s Gongguan Township (公館), at 6.8°C, due to a strong cold air mass and the effect of radiative cooling, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. In other areas, Chiayi’s East District (東區) recorded a low of 8.2°C and Yunlin County’s Huwei Township (虎尾) recorded 8.5°C, CWA data showed. The cold air mass was at its strongest from Saturday night to the early hours of yesterday. It brought temperatures down to 9°C to 11°C in areas across the nation and the outlying Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties,
A new board game set against the backdrop of armed conflict around Taiwan is to be released next month, amid renewed threats from Beijing, inviting players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years from now. China has ramped up military activity close to Taiwan in the past few years, including massing naval forces around the nation. The game, titled 2045, tasks players with navigating the troubles of war using colorful action cards and role-playing as characters involved in operations 10 days before a fictional Chinese invasion of Taiwan. That includes members of the armed forces, Chinese sleeper agents and pro-China politicians
STAY VIGILANT: When experiencing symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning, such as dizziness or fatigue, near a water heater, open windows and doors to ventilate the area Rooftop flue water heaters should only be installed outdoors or in properly ventilated areas to prevent toxic gas from building up, the Yilan County Fire Department said, after a man in Taipei died of carbon monoxide poisoning on Monday last week. The 39-year-old man, surnamed Chen (陳), an assistant professor at Providence University in Taichung, was at his Taipei home for the holidays when the incident occurred, news reports said. He was taking a shower in the bathroom of a rooftop addition when carbon monoxide — a poisonous byproduct of combustion — leaked from a water heater installed in a poorly ventilated
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