Author: Phillip Charlier

Baboon on the loose in Taoyuan City

baboon walks past car
Animals 
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A baboon first spotted in a southern district of Taoyuan City March 10 is still on the loose 13 days later, despite the efforts of local residents, and employees from a nearby zoo. Initial reports assumed that the olive baboon had escaped from the nearby Leofoo Village Theme Park Zoo. However, zoo staff conducted a careful headcount of their animals and concluded that none are missing. Hsinchu Zoo also denied the animal was theirs, stating that they had no baboons

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Civilian driver seriously injured after crashing into tank during military exercises on public road

tank and civilian car after crash
Traffic Accidents 
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A man remains under observation in an intensive care unit three days after his car slammed into the back of a army tank during a military exercise in Taoyuan City Monday night, March 20. According to media reports, the 33-year-old driver of a black sedan crashed into the back of a CM11 tank occupying the outer lane of Provincial Highway 31 in Yangmei District at around 11:30 pm. The civilian vehicle was severely damaged and Deng was rushed to Yangmei

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Maritime pilots face mandatory alcohol testing following container ship accident at Taiwanese port

composite image showing ship's bow and damage to wharf pier
Health and Safety 
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A pilot who was found to be drunk on the job after a container ship slammed into a wharf at the Port of Kaohsiung, Monday, March 20, will not be charged by police, but all maritime pilots in Taiwan will face mandatory alcohol breath testing before starting work following the incident. According to Taiwan’s Chinese language press, Mr Hsu, the pilot in charge of guiding the 74,651-ton vessel Hyundai Tokyo, was found to have an alcohol level of 0.19 mg/l

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Daredevil gardener on 5th-floor rooftop draws concern of neighbors in Taipei City

woman gardening on fifth-floor rooftop
Health and Safety 
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A woman in Taipei City’s upscale Tianmu neighborhood was seen perched precariously on a 5th-floor balcony rooftop tending her garden recently, and concerned neighbors uploaded pictures to social media. The post went viral, and drew attention of TV reporters who went to interview the woman yesterday, Tuesday, March 21. The daredevil gardener, who remains unnamed in reports, and is said to be in her 70s, told reporters that she had been growing vegetables on the rooftop outside her balcony ever

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74,000-ton container ship crashes into wharf at Port of Kaohsiung: Pilot suspected drunk

Hyundai Tokyo approaches wharf at Port of Kaohsiung before collision
Marine and Fisheries 
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A 74,651-ton container ship was seen approaching a wharf pier bow-first at an angle of 90 degrees before colliding with the steel-reinforced concrete structure at the Port of Kaohsiung yesterday, Monday, March 20. According to the Maritime and Port Bureau, the Cyprus-flagged Hyundai Tokyo  (IMO: 9305673, MMSI 212347000) crashed into Pier 77 at 9:05 am, causing damage to the dock and quay wall. The port controller had noticed that the speed of the ship was too fast and sent a

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1 dead 2 injured in migrant worker dormitory fire

man jumps from second floor to escape fire
Fire 
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A female migrant worker died and two people were injured after a fire engulfed a dormitory in Changhua City late last night, Sunday, March 19. Changhua County Fire Bureau received reports of a fire at a three-storey residential building on Zhangnan Road at 10:54 pm. The fire bureau dispatched 21 vehicles and 45 personnel to the scene of the fire. According to the preliminary investigation, a the fire started on the first floor of the building and four people were

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Couple found dead 9 days after car crashes over edge of remote mountain road

car found at bottom of ravine
Traffic Accidents 
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A husband and wife who were reported missing March 8, after failing to return from an outing March 5, were found dead in their car at the bottom of a 30-meter-deep ravine in a mountain district of Nantou County, yesterday, March 14. According to reports, the retired middle-aged couple, named Chen, left their home in Changhua County for a drive to a scenic area in Nantou County, Sunday, March 5. After they failed to return, and did not respond to

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Tourism operators disappointed after luxury cruise ship cancels east coast port of call due to bad weather

Cruise ship Seven Seas Mariner passes by the Port of Hualien
Travel and Tourism 
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A cruise ship carrying 500 passengers sailed past the port of Hualien, and will sail directly to Keelung Harbor, after the captain of the vessel decided that high winds and swells made it unsafe to enter the port. The Seven Seas Mariner was scheduled to dock at the Port of Hualien at 7:00 am today, March 13. However, sustained winds of level 6 to 7 on the Beaufort Scale, gusts up to Beaufort-scale 10, and swells of 3 to 4

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More than 500 people evacuated after kitchen fire in luxury hotel

smoke from fire at Hotel Royal Ch
Fire 
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Three people sought medical treatment for smoke inhalation, and more than 500 guests, visitors, and staff were evacuated from a luxury hot springs hotel in Yilan County last night after a fire broke out in a basement-level kitchen. Yilan County Fire Department received reports of a fire at the Hotel Royal Chiao Hsi in Jiaoxi Township at around 7:30pm yesterday, Thursday, March 9. The hotel’s marketing and public relations manager told media that all 438 guests, 30 restaurant customers, and

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Army, Navy joint military exercises at key strategic beach on Taiwan’s northwest coast

composite image showing army troops on shore and naval vessel during military exercise
Military Affairs 
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A Taiwan ROC Navy Tank landing ship maneuvered close to a beach in Taoyuan City identified as a key strategic landing beach if the PLA were to launch an invasion, during joint army-navy combat drills yesterday, March 8. Zhuwei Beach, adjacent to Zhuwei Fishing Port, is one of 14 beaches labeled as “red beaches” in Ian Easton’s 2017 book, The Chinese Invasion Threat: Taiwan’s Defense and American Strategy in Asia. The beaches mentioned in Easton’s book include Jinshan (North), Jinshan

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Taiwanese fishing boat found capsized in the Indian Ocean: crew of 16 missing

Sheng Feng No. 128
Marine and Fisheries 
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A Taiwanese fishing boat reported missing February 23 has been found overturned in waters off Mauritius, but divers found no sign of crew, according to media reports Thursday, March 2. Taiwan’s Council of Agriculture Fisheries Agency received confirmation from Mauritian authorities that the Kaohsiung-registered Lien Sheng Fa was located 490 nautical miles northeast of Port Louis, Mauritius. Mauritian search and rescue personnel reached the vessel at 6:00 am yesterday, March 2, and divers conducted an underwater examination of the boat,

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