TRAVEL
Tigerair to add route
Tigerair Taiwan is to begin offering two round-trip flights to Oita, Japan, on April 2. That would be the carrier’s 21st route in Japan and the fourth for the island of Kyushu, the carrier said. The airline also has flights for Fukuoka, Saga and Miyazaki. Tigerair Taiwan, a subsidiary of China Airlines, said the new route is expected to broaden the airline’s network in Kyushu and give Taiwanese travelers more flexibility when they plan trips to the island. It would fly from Taoyuan to Oita every Wednesday and Saturday at noon, while flights from Oita would leave on the same days and arrive in Taoyuan at 5:55pm. An Airbus 320 would be used to fly the new route. Tigerair Taiwan said it hopes to take advantage of Oita’s natural beauty and Taiwanese’s continued interest traveling to Japan.
Photo courtesy of Tigerair Taiwan Ltd
DIPLOMACY
Aid agreement signed
Taiwan signed an agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) on Thursday in London to join an initiative to support Ukraine’s workforce development. Representative to the UK Vincent Yao (姚金祥) attended the signing ceremony to join the Human Capital Response Program for Ukraine and affirmed Taiwan’s commitment to helping reconstruction efforts. The program encourages businesses to invest in workplace inclusion, accessibility, childcare support, vocational education and improved work environments to aid Ukraine’s economic recovery. Yao said Taiwan is eager to share its expertise and provide humanitarian assistance. He also highlighted the nation’s long-standing cooperation with the EBRD in transportation logistics, refugee aid and cybersecurity resilience.
TOURISM
Hualien incentivizes travel
Hualien County yesterday launched a new incentive program to attract more foreign tourists, offering travel agencies up to NT$4,000 per person in tour groups to the county. The program is to run until Nov. 30, during which travel agencies that bring tour groups with at least 12 foreign visitors to Hualien can apply for cash rewards. The incentives are based on the length of stay — NT$2,000 per person for two nights, NT$3,000 per person for three nights and NT$4,000 per person for four nights. To qualify, the tour must also include at least one “eco-friendly activity,” such as staying at a certified green hotel, dining at an eco-friendly restaurant or visiting an environmental education site such as Liyu Lake (鯉魚潭) or the Chihnan Nature Center. For more information, visit https://hltrip.tw/agency/rule.php.
SOCIETY
Car crashes in Hsinchu
A sport utility vehicle driver in Hsinchu City yesterday lost control of his vehicle, leaving one person dead and six injured. The driver, a man surnamed Lin (林), abruptly swerved to avoid colliding with another vehicle, Hsinchu City Police Bureau Traffic Police Brigade chief Hsu Wei-liang (許惟亮) said. Lin lost control and crashed into the car in front of him and another car waiting to turn left. Lin’s vehicle then flipped over and ran into two other cars and a motorcycle, Hsu said. The woman driving the motorcycle had an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Lin and his passengers were treated for multiple abrasions. A breath alcohol test showed there was no alcohol in Lin’s blood, but the case would be handed over to prosecutors for an investigation into possible involuntary manslaughter charges, Hsu said.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
Actor Lee Wei (李威) was released on bail on Monday after being named as a suspect in the death of a woman whose body was found in the meeting place of a Buddhist group in Taipei’s Daan District (大安) last year, prosecutors said. Lee, 44, was released on NT$300,000 (US$9,148) bail, while his wife, surnamed Chien (簡), was released on NT$150,000 bail after both were summoned to give statements regarding the woman’s death. The home of Lee, who has retreated from the entertainment business in the past few years, was also searched by prosecutors and police earlier on Monday. Lee was questioned three
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