Rediscovered Map Sheds Light on Taiwan’s first Town

Dutch academics at Academia Sinica with map of Zeelandia

October 23, 2018October 23, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Academia Sinica, Dutch Formosa, Tainan City, Zeelandia

Dutch scholars joined researchers from Academia Sinica at a press conference today to unveil a cadastral map of the township of Zeelandia dating back to the Dutch colonial period. Menno Leenstra, a researcher at the Dutch International Heritage Center said that he had stumbled across the map while doing research on the extinct dodo bird three years ago. The map was among documents belonging to the head of the Dutch East India Company, Nicasius de Hooghe. De Hoogue had been

Breaking News

October 21, 2018October 22, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Ilan County, train derailed

[Constant Updates expected] An express train derailed at high speed in Ilan County this evening killing at least 17 and injuring more than 100 people . At 4:50pm, the Puyuma express No.6432 derailed between Dongshan and Suxin in Suao District on the east coast line. The train was carrying 310 passengers from Shulin Station in New Taipei City to Taitung City. Taiwan Rail Administration set up a level 1 disaster response command center at around 5:00pm, and the Ministry of

machete and other objects thrown from the 12th floor

Violent Crimes

October 19, 2018October 19, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment amphetamines, decapitation, Taoyuan City

A man in Taoyuan City killed his own mother last night, then decapitated the body and threw the head into the community courtyard from their 12th floor apartment. The 33 year-old man named Liang, who has criminal records for drugs, intimidation and fraud offences, quarreled with his 67 year-old mother at around 7:00pm last night. High on amphetamines, Liang flew into a rage and stabbed his mother to death with a kitchen knife. Police said that their were dozens of

workers demolish a store front in Xinhua old street

Culture

October 17, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment claw machine, cultural heritage, Tainan City

Cultural heritage workers in Tainan City rushed to save furniture and fittings dating back to the 1930s after workers moved in with jackhammers yesterday to turn the historical property into a claw machine shop. The clinic is located on the west side of the Xinhua Old Street, a section of Zhongzheng Road that was declared a historical precinct in July this year. Tainan City Sin-Hua District Community Association Secretary-General Hsu Ming-yang told reporters that the buildings on the west side

Traffic Accidents

October 15, 2018October 15, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment Beitou District, firefighter, Taipei City

A firefighter driving a firetruck back to the station after a mechanical inspection died this morning after the cabin flipped open, throwing him out of the vehicle. According to eyewitnesses, at around 9:10am, the truck approached an intersection on Dadu Road in Beitou District. When the driver applied the brakes to stop at the red light, the cabin flipped forward. The truck continued out of control for about 100 meters before crashing into a utility pole. The 45 year-old squad

Traffic Accidents

October 11, 2018October 11, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment street racing, Taipei City

Three people are dead after an unlicensed driver lost control of his vehicle while racing a friend, and plowed into a sidewalk arcade on busy Nanjing East Road this evening, October 11. At around 5:45pm, a 21 year-old man named Hsieh, driving a black sedan, raced against his friend named Huang, who was driving a white sedan, crossing the double-yellow center lines while dodging cars and scooters in the near peak hour traffic conditions. Both men were unlicensed. Hsieh lost

Crime and Criminals

October 11, 2018October 12, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment construction industry, organized crime, Tainan City

A car that was crushed by an excavator during a dispute at a construction site in Tainan City the other day, was destroyed by fire last night in what police say was a case of spontaneous combustion. At around 1:40pm, Tuesday afternoon, October 9, a group of men believed to be associated with a waste soil dumping business parked three cars, blocking the entrance to the construction site on Wenping Road in Anping District. A 25 year-old man named Chen

Odd News

October 6, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment arson, speed camera, Tainan City

A man was arrested in Tainan City yesterday, after a speed camera was set on fire earlier this week. At around 2:00am, Monday, October 1, firefighters in Tainan City responded to a report that a speed camera was on fire on Yongcheng Road. After the fire was extinguished a preliminary investigation determined that the fire had been deliberately lit. Police investigators accessed roadside traffic camera footage which showed a man putting tires under the camera, soaking them in gasoline, and

Traffic Accidents

October 5, 2018October 5, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment heavy motorcycles, Kaohsiung City, road-rage

Two separate accidents in Kaohsiung City this week are suspected to have involved car drivers deliberately ramming heavy motorcycles, leaving one man dead. Late night, October 1, a 25 year-old man named Hong was riding a heavy motorcycle on Jiuru 4th Road in Gushan District when he was chased by a man driving a white Mazda sedan. The car driver overtook the motorcycle on the right, sounded his horn, then swerved left and sideswiped the motorcycle, causing the rider to

Crime and Criminals

October 4, 2018October 4, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment bank robbery, Kaohsiung City

A 27 year-old man was arrested in Kaohsiung City today, after an armed robbery of a bank in the city on October 1. At around 3:25pm, Monday afternoon, a man wearing a motorcycle helmet, a surgical mask, and sunglasses, entered a branch of Chang Hwa Bank on Jianguo 2nd Road in Kaohsiung City, pointed a gun at staff, and demanded money. According to a CNA report of the robbery, a witness said that the man appeared “gentle,” and had whispered

typhoon Kong-Rey passes close to Taiwan satellite image

Weather

October 4, 2018 Phillip Charlier 0 Comment heavy rain, Typhoon Kong-Rey, wind advisory

The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) this afternoon issued a heavy rain warning for northern districts of Taiwan, including Taipei City, Keelung City, Taoyuan City, and mountain districts from Hsinchu County north, as Typhoon Kong-Rey passes close by on a trajectory predicted to take the storm through Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture, before heading to South Korea. In the alert issued at 1:52pm, the CWB also issued a strong wind advisory for 18 counties and cities, including the offshore islands. The advisory warned

Rediscovered Map Sheds Light on Taiwan’s first Town

Express Train Derails on East Coast: at least 18 fatalities and 168 injured

Man Decapitates his Mother and tosses Head from 12th Floor

Historical Clinic Gutted to make way for Claw Machines

Firefighter Killed After Truck Cabin Flips Open

Unlicensed, Street-racing Driver Kills 3 Pedestrians in Taipei City

Car Crushed by Excavator burns in case of Spontaneous Combustion

Speedster Sets Fire to Speed Camera to Destroy Evidence

Two Drivers Suspected of Deliberately Ramming Motorcycle Riders in Kaohsiung City

Bank Robber Nabbed after 3-day Manhunt

Heavy Rain and Wind Warnings Issued as Typhoon Kong-Rey Passes by