Taiwan coast guard deploys elite unit for high-speed intercepts of Chinese speedboats

coast guard special task unit officers board fast-moving speedboat
Marine and Fisheries 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

Taiwan’s National Coast Guard Administration has deployed a team of elite special forces equipped with high-speed assault boats to intercept Chinese poachers using speedboats to evade larger coast guard vessels around islands close to the coast of China. The Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch of the coast guard has dispatched the Special Task Unit to Dongyin Island, Taiwan’s northernmost territory, to combat an expected influx of Chinese poachers during the summer season. Fish poachers from the coast of China usually take advantage of

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Witness says metro train was stopped when crane fell onto tracks: train then drove into it

Taichung City Mayor Lu Shiow-yen
Disaster 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , ,

A Canadian man who was aboard a Taichung metro train when one person was killed, and eight were injured in an accident, Wednesday, May 10, says that the train was stopped at a station when the crane boom fell onto the tracks. The man, who is unnamed in media reports, and described as a foreign English teacher, gave a doorstop interview as he stepped out of a hospital where he was treated for an abrasion to his head suffered when,

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1 passenger dead, 8 injured after construction crane collapses, hits MRT train in Taichung City

composite image of damaged train and collapsed crane
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , ,

One person died at the scene, and eight people were injured, after a crane from the top of a 30-storey building under construction collapsed onto an elevated section of Taichung’s MRT system, hitting a moving train. According to reports, the crane collapse happened at 12:25 pm near the Feng-le Park Station on Wenxin Road in Nantun District. Pictures from the scene showed the front of a metro train and the interior of a train compartment badly damaged. Taichung City Fire

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“When Worlds Collide: A Formosan Black Bear’s Deadly Dance with Civilization” wins Gold at Houston Film Fest

When Worlds Collide: A Formosan Black Bear's Deadly Dance with Civilization movie poster
Animals Environment 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

A documentary film about a Formosan black bear that was rescued from animal traps multiple times before finally being fatally shot by hunters won the Gold Award in the Documentary Feature Film category of the 56th Houston Film Festival, and is available to be watched for free on multiple platforms. The film documents the life of a bear dubbed 711/568 by wildlife researchers, beginning with the animal being rescued from a wire snare in the mountains of Taitung County, October

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Japan deploys Patriot III anti-aircraft missiles on islands close to Taiwan

composite picture showing map of Taiwan and Japanese islands in the Miyako Strait
Military Affairs Regional 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

Japan will deploy Patriot III anti-aircraft missiles on Yonaguni Island, just 111 kilometers from Taiwan’s east coast, purportedly in response to North Korea’s long-range ballistic missiles, according to reports in Japanese media outlets today, Monday, May 8. Major Japanese media outlet Jiji Press reported that Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno announced today that the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will deploy Patriot III (PAC-3) anti-aircraft missiles at the Air Self-Defense Miyako Base in Miyakojima City, Okinawa Prefecture. In addition, PAC-3 missiles

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2 killed, Tesla disintegrates in high-speed drunk driving crash on Taichung City expressway

Aftermath of high-speed drunk driving crash in Taichung City
Traffic Accidents 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

A driver with a blood alcohol level almost three times over the legal limit was one of two men who died at the scene of the accident after a Tesla slammed into a concrete Jersey barrier on an expressway in Taichung City early Sunday morning, May 7. Taichung City Fire Bureau responded to reports of the crash at an offramp of Expressway 74 in Xitun District at 5:48 am. Firefighters and paramedics found the vehicle had completely disintegrated due to

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Female friend now main suspect in Australian student Alex Shorey poisoning case

Australian student medivaced out of Taiwan
Health and Safety 
Phillip Charlier 2 Comments ,

A 45-year-old Taiwanese woman is being investigated as a suspect in the Alex Shorey poisoning case after an empty bottle of rat poison was found in her home, where the 24-year-old Australian student was staying. According to reports in multiple Taiwanese media outlets, the Taipei District Prosecutor’s Office brought the woman in for questioning after finding an empty bottle of rodenticide in the woman’s Taipei City home during a search on May 3. The woman confessed to having put the

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Taiwan may convert retired fighter jets into drones

Taiwan air force F-5
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment ,

Taiwan’s defense industry is considering converting its aging F-5 fleet into Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs) as constant provocations by the Chinese military puts pressure on air force manpower, it was revealed in Taiwan’s legislature today. Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng met with the Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee of the Legislative Yuan today, May 4, to report on a range of issues, including the Naval and Air Combat Power Enhancement Plan and F-16V(Block 70) procurement progress. Democratic

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MSC Bellissima sets record for largest cruise ship to dock at the Port of Keelung

MSC Bellissima at the Port of Keelung
Travel and Tourism 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , ,

The largest cruise ship to ever dock at the Port of Keelung sailed into the harbor today, May 4, bringing more than 4,600 visitors to the harbor city and Taiwan’s capital, Taipei. The MSC Bellissima sailed into the harbor at around 6:00 am, and was greeted by tugboats with a water salute. The 315-meter-long ship is operated by MSC Cruises, and has 19 decks, 2,217 cabins, 18 elevators, and three swimming pools. There are 1,564 personnel on board to serve

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“The new normal:” Chinese drone circles Taiwan for second time in a week

composite image showing BZK-005 uav and flight path around Taiwan
Military Affairs 
Phillip Charlier 0 Comment , , , ,

The Chinese military flew a drone around Taiwan yesterday, May 2, just six days after it made the first encirclement using a bomber drone on April 27, rapidly escalating the maneuver from unprecedented to “new normal.” According to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense, a People’s Liberation Army Air Force BZK-005 Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) flew eastwards from the Chinese coast, crossing the center line of the Taiwan Strait in the north, then passing between Yonaguni Island, Japan, and Taiwan’s east

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Pilots, flight attendants decline invite to COVID after-party: human rights abuses cannot be nullified with awards

composite image showing medical professions in clown suits and pilots in PPE
Aviation 
Phillip Charlier 1 Comment , , ,

Both the Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union and the Taoyuan Pilots’ Union declined invitations from the Ministry of Health and Welfare to an event labeled as a COVID-19 contribution appreciation and awards party, citing the stigma and deprivation of human rights they suffered over the last three years as the reason for not attending. The ceremony was held yesterday evening, May 2, at the Sheraton Grand Hotel Taipei, and was hosted by President Tsai Ing-wen and Premier Chen Chien-jen. The President

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