Alishan Forest Rail out of commission till late August due to Gaemi’s destruction

Alishan Forest Rail out of commission till late August due to Gaemi’s destruction

2024-07-29

No sooner had the Alishan Forest Railway started operating than it was closed again. The historical railway was fully opened earlier this month after 15 years of arduous repairs, but after just 17 days of operation, it is suspended due to downed trees and landslides caused by Typhoon Gaemi. Authorities have announced that operations would be suspended until the end of August.

Chou Hen-kai
Alishan Forest Railway & Cultural Heritage Office
The strong winds and abundant rainfall brought by Typhoon Gaemi had caused landslides and fallen trees at 89 places along the Alishan Forest Railway, but there haven’t been any major disasters. Our office will continue to conduct route inspections, as well as cleanup and repair work as weather allows. Since most of the damaged areas are inaccessible by road, repairs need to be carried out section by section, and intermittent heavy rains have hampered the progress. We estimate that it will be completed at the end of August.

The crew inspecting the forest railway came upon a large area of earth and rocks covering the track. Elsewhere they found a tree trunk sitting in the middle of the track. Such scenes of damage can be found throughout the Alishan Forest Railway.

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樹倒+土石崩塌阿里山林鐵全線8月底前暫停營運

2024-07-29

睽違15年，阿里山林鐵在7月6日才又再度全線通車，沒想到短短營運17天，就因為這次的凱米颱風，挾帶豐沛雨量，導致路線上出現樹倒及土石崩塌等狀況，林鐵宣布，全線到8月底前都暫停營運。

[[阿里山林鐵及文資處副處長周恆凱]]
“凱米颱風帶來的強風豪雨，已經造成阿里山林鐵沿線，邊坡土石崩落及倒樹至少89處，尚無重大災害，本處持續在天候許可下，持續進行路線巡檢及清理修復作業。因為大部分災損地點無道路可達，需逐段推進施工，且有間歇性大雨影響修復進度，預估在八月底才能完成”

工作人員沿著森林鐵路，一路巡查，就看到一大片土石掩沒在鐵道上面，還混雜著樹木殘枝，或是整根樹幹倒在路中央，像這樣的景象，幾乎遍佈整個阿里山森林鐵道沿線。

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China pressures IPAC lawmakers to not attend Taipei summit: AP

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Speaking at Taipei Guest House, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim welcomes members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC.

Hsiao Bi-khim
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We face significant challenges in all of these areas, particularly the geopolitical situation where Beijing is aggressively expanding their military presence. So your presence here is at a very important moment.

Forty-eight cross-party lawmakers from 23 countries are here to attend IPAC’s annual summit. They are the largest parliamentary delegation ever to visit Taiwan.

Lin Ching
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IPAC, or the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, will hold its annual summit in Taiwan for the first time. The event opens on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Taipei.

This year’s summit will focus on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. There will be special Taiwan forum, during which President Lai Ching-te will give a speech.

According to the Associated Press, eight lawmakers from at least five countries, including Colombia and Slovakia, faced Chinese pressure to not attend the summit. They said they received calls and emails from Chinese embassy officials. Some found that their party leadership had been contacted. But the pressure campaign backfired: One Bosnian lawmaker said it only “steeled her determination” to go to Taiwan.

Founded in 2020, IPAC has lawmakers from dozens of countries and the European Parliament. It seeks to safeguard democracy against the Chinese threat. It also promotes legislation to challenge China’s political and economic influence.

Wang Ting-yu
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IPAC is a global alliance of lawmakers that promotes human rights, freedom, and democracy. Today, China poses a threat to the freedom, democracy, and normal international relations of other countries.

Defying Chinese pressure, IPAC’s lawmakers departed for Taipei, standing united to defend democracy.

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Lai to request record defense budget for 2025: sources

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Despite a typhoon, the first-ever “unscripted” Han Kuang exercises came to a successful close last Friday.

And after staying away for four days amid the storm, the PLA resumed its harassment of Taiwan last Sunday. Thirty-four aircraft and vessels were detected near the island, with 13 planes crossing the strait’s median line.

Amid China’s gray-zone warfare, the Lai administration has requested a record-high budget for defense.

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To cope with the threat of China’s growing strength and expansionism, Taiwan has continually increased its defense budget over the past few years. To some extent, doing so is about declaring to the world that we are committed to indigenous defense. It’s to show that we are determined to defend ourselves.

Since the Tsai administration, Taiwan’s military spending has increased each year, going from NT$349.7 billion in 2016 to NT$355.7 billion in 2017, and surpassing NT$400 billion in 2020. In 2023, spending soared to NT$580.3 billion. Military spending is expected to surge again to NT$630 billion this year, taking its GDP percentage from 2% to 2.6%. But even so, a scholar says there’s still plenty of room to expand expenditures.

Su Tzu-yun
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Compared to other vulnerable nations like Israel, Singapore, and South Korea, our defense spending is on the low side. A reasonable defense budget should target 3% of the GDP. This would give our professional staff at the defense ministry a more stable and long-term financial plan.

The scholar called on the government to further boost spending, in order to ensure Taiwan’s national security.

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A woman hands over her prescription but leaves the pharmacy empty-handed. That’s because her prescription is labeled “Do Not Substitute,” meaning that the drug listed can’t be replaced with equivalent medications. To save patients a trip in vain, the National Health Insurance Administration will require dentists to explain their reasoning for not allowing substitutes, starting in October. If no reason is provided, the pharmacy will be permitted to dispense generics.

Chiang Hsi-jen
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If the effect of the drugs is the same, I think it should be OK.

It remains to be seen whether the policy can work for chronic patients, who must take medications regularly. In the policy’s second phase, which starts next April, dental prescriptions may no longer list brand names, only active ingredients.

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Looking across a large area of farmland, one can see the sudden destruction of the farmers’ hard work, with vegetable leaves and roots scattered and rotten after the heavy rain.

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Zihguan District in Kaohsiung has more than 250 hectares of vegetable fields. It mainly grows leafy greens such as water spinach and bok choy, as well as heat-resistant vegetables such as winter melon and loofah. It is one of the main vegetable supply and distribution centers in Southern Taiwan, with a daily output of about 200,000 tons. In the wake of the damage from Typhoon Gaemi, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai visited Zihguan District early Monday morning.

Chen Chi-mai
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We will request that subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture be handled with priority, leniency and speed, so that our farmers can resume production as soon as possible.

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Liu Chen-hua
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There is no problem with getting through a time when crops are scarce. A rolling storage system is operating, and has been supplying produce for two days. In addition to 50 tons of cabbage, we have a lot of tubers and vegetables, and a small amount of leafy greens.

It will take about a month for leafy greens to be replanted and harvested in Zihguan District. The Kaohsiung City Government says it will work with the central government and hopes to help farmers complete post-disaster recovery as soon as possible.

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A sedan chair for a deity bounces down a busy street as part of a temple festival.

Firecrackers are set off to the sound of drums and cymbals. These kids are having great fun. Look closely, and everything from the god’s sedan to the ritual offering tables and the altar seem to be under a magnifying glass.

There are even miniature versions of the gods in this tiny temple where imitations of the real ceremonies can be acted out. All these models were made by the talented Mr. Hsiao.

All the gods, military deities and other temple tools are smaller than your hand. Open up the god’s sedan and you find a tiny lamp inside. Hsiao Cheng-hou is a seventh grader and has always loved temple festivals. Now he’s set his hand to creating his own tiny temples.

His meticulous work makes even the offerings on the altar look just like the real thing. These detailed models are all made in Hsiao’s secret workshop.

It’s on the top floor of the home. Here he measures out each material to the millimeter, and saws up his own wood.

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I started watching temple festivals when I was little, and I thought it would be fun to do this. I’ve been doing it throughout the summer vacation, gradually learning things, and the more I do it the more I love it.

Hsiao is completely self-taught, and relies on his careful observation of the festivals around him. He gets his materials online or orders them at bookstores. Sometimes he’s lost in the project for an entire day.

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This is handpainted. It took me more than a week.

Hsiao often brings the models out to play with friends. They set out a big table and act out the whole festival in miniature. A collector has already bought some of his miniatures. With his extensive knowledge of temple culture, and his love for the art, Hsiao knows how to make the most of his summer.

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Cold noodles must be preserved properly to prevent bacteria

It’s refreshing to have cold noodles when the weather is so hot, but food safetycan be a concern. Customers often have an upset stomach after eating them, even at famous spots. There’s one cold noodle shop in Taipei that uses three fridges set at different temperatures to make sure their ingredients stay fresh. Doctors advise that it’s best to finish cold noodles in one sitting and separate the sauce and noodles when putting them in the fridge.

These cold noodles with sesame sauce may look simple, but the shop uses three fridges to maintain the ingredients’ quality and ensure food safety.

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Most traditional cold noodle shops will put the noodles and sauce in a pot and serve from that. But it’s easy for bacteria to grow during this process when the weather is hot. When we prepare the noodles, we refrigerate the sauce in separate bottles, taking out only as much as we need. The preserved eggs we are about to use are first put in a cold fridge, next to the fridge for noodles. We move them to the fridge in front when needed.

The three fridges are kept at different temperatures, one to preserve food, then another to prepare it for use, and the last out front for making orders. The owner puts the noodles in paper bowls, separates the sauce into individual packets, and puts the cucumber slices into a container. Then everything is put in the fridge to prevent bacteria growth.

Mr. Su
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Not only do we make this for customers, but we also eat it ourselves, so it’s important that it’s safe. We always ask customers when they plan to eat and how far they have to walk. If they have to walk too far in the heat, we will advise them not to buy it because it may go bad.

Bacteria can increase by over 100 times if cold noodles are left at room temperature for three to four hours. Unfinished cold noodles should be put in the fridge in an airtight container or bag. As humidity is key to bacteria growth, doctors say the noodles and sauce should be stored separately and finished the next day.

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The problem with cold noodles is that they must be left out to cool after being cooked. Bacteria grows easiest in food at 5 to 60 degrees. If left out for two to four hours, the bacteria growth could be enough to cause food poisoning. It’s best to finish the meal within two hours or put it in the fridge to preserve it.

It’s refreshing to eat cold noodles in the summer, but pay attention to food safety to stay healthy.

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