Author: Phillip Charlier

Foreign journalist’s tweet leads to crackdown on riding scooters on sidewalks in Kaohsiung City

police hand out penalty tickets to scooter rider on sidewalk in Kaohsiung City
Health and Safety 
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Kaohsiung City police handed out more than 400 tickets to people riding their motor scooters on the sidewalk yesterday after a Polish journalist who resides in the city complained about the problem on Twitter. On Monday morning, March 7, Aviation business correspondent Tomasz Śniedziewski tweeted: “I don’t like to use Twitter to complain but really, the plague of scooter racing on #Kaohsiung pavements is seriously wrong and I wish @KaohsiungCity finally noticed and addressed the problem.” Śniedziewski uploaded a video

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Cargo ship aground on Taiwan’s east coast

general cargo ship Uniprofit aground on east coast of Taiwan
Marine and Fisheries 
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A Belize-flagged freighter has run aground on the coast of Taitung County, and authorities are preparing equipment and personnel in case of an oil spill today, Tuesday, March 8. The 6,653 gross ton Uniprofit was en route from Yantai, China to Bahudopi, Indonesia carrying general cargo in 149 20-foot containers when it lost power off the east coast of Taiwan. Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration received a report that the vessel was around one nautical mile off the coast without power

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Tesla on Autopilot involved in fatal freeway crash

Tesla, BMW, and road maintenance vehicle on freeway after crash
Traffic Accidents 
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The driver of a Tesla involved in a traffic accident that left one dead and two injured was using the Autopilot feature at the time the car crashed, according to reports in United Daily News and Liberty Times. The Tesla slammed into the back of a road maintenance vehicle near the Daxi Interchange on National Highway 3 at 9:48 pm yesterday, March 7. The 46-year-old driver suffered an injured hand, and the badly damaged Tesla was left blocking the outer

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Multiple fatalities after residents trapped in apartment building fire: one man survives fall from 6th floor

composite image showing building on fire and people trapped on awning
Fire 
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Six people are confirmed dead, and seven were injured, after a fire in a residential building in Taichung City this afternoon, Sunday, March 6. Taichung City Fire Department dispatched 22 vehicles and 85 personnel from eight fire stations after receiving reports of a fire in a 7 storey building on Xingzhong Street in Central District at 4:30 pm. Dramatic scenes unfolded as two men and one woman escaped from an apartment on the 7th floor and stood precariously on a

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Man critically injured in level crossing accident was rushing to catch a train

composite image showing paramedics treating injured man and passengers disembarking from train
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Two men on a motor scooter were injured, one critically, after being hit by a train on a level crossing in Tainan City last night, and the scooter rider said that he had ignored the red lights and boom gates because his friend was in a hurry to catch a train. The 46-year-old scooter rider, named Liu, and his pillion passenger, who remains unnamed in reports, were hit by a local service train on a level crossing on Zhongzheng Road

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Crocodile hunt launched in Nantou County after caiman spotted in farm pond

spectacled caiman in zizania pond
Animals 
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Reptile experts have been hired to catch a caiman, after reports emerged yesterday that a crocodile had been spotted in a field of water bamboo in Puli Township, Nantou County. When a post appeared on social media saying that a crocodile was seen in a zizania pond readers were incredulous. “My mother said that there are crocodiles in the bamboo shoots field,” someone posted on the Facebook group “Puli People,” with an accompanying photograph. “It’s probably fake,” one reader responded.

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Large areas of southern Taiwan still in the dark this evening but power supply sufficient for tomorrow says Taipower

a police officer directs traffic during power outage
Business and Economy 
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Power was restored to most affected areas following nationwide blackouts caused by an accident at Xingda Power Plant in Kaohsiung City this morning, however, many areas of southern Taiwan were plunged into darkness again as the sun went down on solar power arrays this evening, March 3. As of 8:30 pm this evening power outages were still being reported over much of Kaohsiung City’s central business district, and areas of Pingtung, Tainan, Chiayi, and Yunlin counties. An estimated 700,000 households

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Kaohsiung City poised to become important base in global electric bus market

Model T electric bus
Business and Economy 
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Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chi-mai said that he looks forward to jointly building the world’s most important electric bus base during a handover ceremony that saw the city taking delivery of the first electric bus produced by Foxconn joint venture Foxtron today, March 3. Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (TSE: 2354, Foxconn Technology Group) Chairman Liu Young-way said that the delivery was the most important milestone since the company ventured into the electric vehicle industry. Liu noted that 65% of

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Critically ill patient wheeled to hospital after ambulance crash in Kaohsiung City

damaged ambulance and car following collision
Traffic Accidents 
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Paramedics abandoned their ambulance and wheeled a critically ill patient to the hospital after a collision around 150 meters from the emergency department entrance in Kaohsiung City this morning. At around 4:30 am an Fire Department ambulance carrying a female patient suffering from myocardial infarction collided with a Mercedes Benz sedan at an intersection of Rongzong Road in Zouying District. The driver of the ambulance suffered an injured left hand, and the second paramedic also suffered minor bruising. However, considering

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Nationwide power outages after accident at major power station

fire and smoke at Xingda Power plant
Business and Economy 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

More than one third of households around Taiwan were without power after what the Ministry of Economic Affairs described as “a bang, but not an explosion” at a major power plant in Kaohsiung City at 9:07 am this morning, Thursday, March 3. Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua made a public apology for the situation and said that the power outages were caused by an accident at the main switch station of Xingda Power Plant in Kaohsiung City. Wang said

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Taiwan’s electric motorcycle brand Gogoro reports recent sales surge

Gogoro electric scooters
Business and Economy 
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Electric scooter brand Gogoro announced March 1 that the number of newly licensed electric scooters in Taiwan in the first two months of 2022 reached 7,308 units, more than double the same period last year, with a growth rate of 132.2%.  Compared with the booming sales performance of electric motor scooters, the sales of traditional fuel scooters continued to decline. The number of new licenses of traditional fuel scooters in January and February 2022 declined by 10.4% compared with the

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