Author: Phillip Charlier

Cargo ship aground and leaking oil in Penghu Islands

oil spill in foreground, stranded ship in background
Marine and Fisheries 
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Coast guard and environmental protection agency personnel are cleaning up and attempting to prevent spreading of an oil spill after a 499-ton cargo ship ran aground on Jibei Island in the Penghu archipelago. According to Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration, the Cameroonian-flagged general cargo ship, Hai Shou, en route from the Port of Kaohsiung to Busan, Korea, lost power and began drifting on Saturday, December 16. Attempts were made to anchor the ship, but strong winds caused the ship to continue

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Search for French couple lost in Taiwan’s Central Mountain Range enters 3rd day

search and rescue personnel in wilderness
Breaking News 
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Update: Couple found during air search. Airlifted to hospital for a medical check-up. Pingtung County, Taiwan – A search and rescue operation is underway in a remote mountain district of Pingtung County, after a French couple hiking in the area reported that they were lost two days ago. The Pingtung County Fire Department received a distress call from a 38-year old man, and a 30-year-old woman at 9:30 am, November 26. The couple reported that they had entered the Wutai

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4 migrant workers injured after fight leads to dormitory fire in southern Taiwan

migrant workers trapped on roof await rescue by firefighting ladder
Fire 
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Four migrant workers were injured, two critically, and several were rescued after being trapped on the roof of a building, following a fire that was ignited when one of the men used a blowtorch as a weapon during an altercation at around midnight yesterday. The Changhua County Fire Department dispatched 14 fire trucks, five ambulances, and 46 personnel, after receiving reports of a fire at a textile company dormitory building in Hemei Township at 12:09 am, Thursday. A total of

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Pet owner fined for stuffing large dog into small backpack

husky stuffed in transparent backpack pet carrier
Animals 
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Animal welfare authorities will fine the owner of a husky that was stuffed into a backpack after police tracked the man down based on pictures taken by witnesses. Pictures surfaced on Taiwan’s social media website Dcard yesterday, showing a young husky bent over uncomfortably in a small, transparent backpack carried by a motorcyclist in Xinxing District, Kaohsiung City. The pictures quickly went viral as outraged animal lovers shared the images, calling for the pet’s owner to be found and punished.

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Biggest amphetamine smuggling bust in Taiwan history: 1.4 ton drug haul intercepted at Port of Kaohsiung

shipment of amphetamines at Port of Kaohsiung
Drugs 
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Eight people have been arrested in connection with a 1.4 ton haul of amphetamine and ketamine intercepted at the Port of Kaohsiung in what police described as the biggest amphetamine smuggling operation bust in Taiwan’s history. According to information released at a press briefing yesterday, November 15, the Criminal Investigation Bureau received intelligence in February this year that drug traffickers were planning to smuggle a large quantity of drugs using cargo ships berthing at the Port of Kaohsiung. After long-term

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Taiwan prosecutors find Elon Musk not guilty of instructing or inducing people to smoke marijuana

Elon Musk smokes pot on Joe Rogan show
Society 
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The Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office has concluded that Elon Musk is not guilty of inducing others to smoke marijuana, following an investigation arising from accusations made against the American billionaire by lawyer Zoe Lee. On August 23, 2023, Lee, who serves as secretary-general of Taiwan’s Green Party, filed a lawsuit accusing Musk of smoking marijuana during a show aired online in 2018, spreading the notion that marijuana is harmless. Musk also loosened regulations to allow marijuana advertisements on his social

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Surfers suspend competition, perform ceremony for contestant who died in traffic accident

a surfer in the foreground clenches flowers in with his teeth as he paddles out
Sport 
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Surfers competing in the Taiwan Open of Surfing in Taitung County today suspended the morning’s events, and held a paddle-out ceremony for an Indonesian contestant who died in a traffic accident yesterday. More than 100 surfers carried flowers and paddled out of the surf zone to form a circle before holding a minute’s silence in remembrance of 24-year-old pro surfer Febriansyah. The Taitung County Government liaised with Indonesia’s representative office in Taiwan to contact and provide assistance to Febriansyah’s family.

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Indonesian pro surfer dead after motorcycle accident on Taiwan’s east coast

scene of accident
Traffic Accidents 
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An Indonesian man visiting Taiwan to compete in an international surfing competition was declared dead at the hospital, after suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle accident on the coastal highway in Taitung County last night, November 10. Police and Fire Department paramedics responded to reports of a single-vehicle accident on Highway 11 in Donghe Township shortly after midnight, Friday. The 24-year-old Indonesian national, Febriansyah was found seriously injured after crashing into a tree while riding a motor scooter. Febriansyah was

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EVA Air flight canceled after baggage trailer collides with plane at Bangkok Airport

trailers against engine cowling of Boing 777
Aviation 
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An EVA Air flight from Bangkok to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport was canceled after the aircraft was hit by two runaway baggage trailers, rendering the plane unairworthy for take-off. According to EVA Air, Flight BR202, Bangkok to Taoyuan, was originally scheduled to take off at 2:40 pm local time yesterday, November 9. However, a short time before boarding, two baggage trailers being towed near the plane disconnected from the tow tractor. The trailers collided with the engine cowling of the

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5 passengers injured in fatal bus crash still in intensive care: bus driver charged with negligent homicide

view of rear of bus after crash
Traffic Accidents 
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Five passengers from a group of 39 who were injured, one fatally, when a bus overturned in Yilan County yesterday, remain in a critical condition, and the bus driver has been charged with negligent homicide following a preliminary investigation into the crash. Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board investigated the scene of the crash yesterday evening, and again this morning. Investigators recorded marks and scratches on the road surface that extended more than 100 meters, along with impact-damaged guardrails

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Tour bus overturns on mountain road: 1 dead, 38 injured

bus on its side after crashing on mountain road
Traffic Accidents 
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One person died, and 38 were injured after a tour bus overturned on a mountain road in Yilan County, Sunday afternoon, October 5. The Yilan County Fire Department dispatched personnel and equipment from eight fire stations following reports of a bus crashing and overturning at the 5.3 kilometer mark of the Taiping Mountain Access Road at 3:17 pm. According to reports, there were 42 people aboard the bus, which was carrying a group of environmental volunteers from Bade District, Taoyuan

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