WEATHER
North, center to see rain
Steady rainfall is forecast for northern and central Taiwan today, along with isolated showers in the south, meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said. Weather conditions would become gradually drier tomorrow and on Wednesday, with rain mostly limited to northern and eastern Taiwan, he said. Temperatures would also gradually rebound during that three-day period, as the cold front weakens, Wu said. The weather during the Children’s Day and Tomb Sweeping Day holiday weekend would be “more or less stable,” with clear to mostly cloudy weather and warming temperatures for most of Taiwan, and a chance of isolated showers in the east, he said.
Photo: CNA
TOURISM
Kenting rental to be fined
A guesthouse in Kenting National Park would be fined for contravening price control rules, after an investigation found it increased its room rate by almost 900 percent for dates in early April, when two major festivals are to be held. It is facing fines of between NT$10,000 and NT$50,000 for price gouging, and NT$40,000 for exceeding the allowed room count, authorities said yesterday, citing regulations in the Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例). The inspection was conducted following the discovery of an illegal guesthouse in Kenting, which had raised its room rates from NT$895 (US$26.94) to NT$7,980 per night, higher than the approved range for a price hike. The Taiwan Music Festival is to be held in Kenting from April 3 to 5, and overlaps with the national four-day holiday from April 3 to 6 for the Tomb-Sweeping Festival.
CRIME
Rapist handed 22 years
A go tutor has been sentenced to 22 years for molesting 12 children up to 64 times in total. The New Taipei District Court on Wednesday last week found the defendant surnamed Lee (李) guilty of contravening the Criminal Code for molesting children below the age of 14, with the youngest reportedly six years old, the Sexual Harassment Prevention Act (性騷擾防治法), and the Child and Youth Sexual Exploitation Prevention Act (兒童及少年性剝削防制條例) by filming the children as he abused them, it said. The case came to light on Sept. 1 last year, when a victim’s parents reported Lee’s misconduct. He had been operating an unlicensed go classroom where he installed cameras. Authorities inspected the site the following day, seizing video evidence and later identifying 12 people. The New Taipei City Education Department also fined Lee NT$250,000 (US$7,553.55) last year and ordered the immediate closure of his “classroom.”
CINEMA
Film event begins today
The Ministry of Culture and the British Film Institute (BFI) are to host “Myriad Voices: Reframing Taiwan New Cinema” in London from today until April 30. The event would feature 15 films, showcasing works by renowned directors such as Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), Edward Yang (楊德昌), Wang Toon (王童), Wan Jen (萬仁), Chang Yi (張毅), Chen Kun-hou (陳坤厚) and Huang Yu-shan (黃玉珊), the ministry said. Chen and Huang are to attend select screenings to share their insights on Taiwan New Cinema, it added. The Cultural Division of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK said the collaboration with BFI marks a significant milestone and reflects their commitment to fostering cultural exchange through cinema. They said they hope the event raises the profile of Taiwanese films in the UK and help the British gain a better understanding of Taiwanese cinema.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
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