Lai visits Penghu troops ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival

Lai visits Penghu troops ahead of Mid-Autumn Festival

2024-09-06

President Lai Ching-te on Friday joined Minister of Defense Wellington Koo on an inspection of the military units in Penghu. During the visit, Lai presented troops with a Mid-Autumn Festival bonus, stating that the government would provide support for the military. He added that a subtraction mindset would be adopted so that troops can focus on combat training. Let’s hear from Lai.

Lai Ching-te
President
The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. Thanks to all of your dedicated service, the people of Taiwan can celebrate the festival in peace. The government will provide support for the military, by improving camp facilities, upgrading weapons and so on. At the same time, we will simplify procedures so that you can all focus more on combat training. The Chen Chiang exercise, involving resources from the Navy, Air Force and Army, had to be canceled due to the weather. But the 146th fleet was still able to show off its professionalism and the results of its training through its exercises for joint interception operations and precision missile strikes. I would like to thank you all for the important role you play, as an indispensible force for our nation’s security. During peace time, you are fully dedicated to combat training and remain alert at all times to stand guard over our waters.

On his first visit to Penghu since assuming office, Lai offered words of encouragement to military officers. He also oversaw an exercise involving anti-aircraft troops. They used the dual-mounted Stinger missile launch system, which is regarded as a key asset in asymmetric warfare. He also boarded the ROCS Cheng Ho frigate. During an inspection of its interior he took to the PA system, to thank troops for their hard work.

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
Sun to Fri at 9:30 pm on Channel 152
Tue to Sat at 1 am on Channel 53

中秋前夕發加菜金! 賴清德總統勗勉海軍146艦隊

2024-09-06

總統賴清德，週五在國防部長顧立雄的陪同下，視察澎湖地區部隊，並頒發中秋加菜金，賴清德表示，政府會做國軍的後盾，也會採用減法思維，讓大家能專注在戰訓本務上。

[[總統賴清德]]
“再過不久就是中秋節，因為有大家堅守崗位，國人才能夠安心過節，政府也會做國軍的後盾，不論是營區生活環境，或者是武器裝備等等，我們都會持續精進，同時也會採用減法的思維，讓大家可以更專注在戰訓本務上面。鎮江操演當天，海空軍的兵力資源，因為受到天候影響而取消，但是146艦隊，不論是在聯合截擊作戰，或者是精準飛彈射擊等各項演訓中，都充分展現專業以及勤訓精練的成果，大家都是守護國家安全的重要力量，我要感謝各位，平時致力於戰訓本務，也全天候待命守護海疆”

賴清德上任後首度來到澎湖，勗勉國軍部隊，觀看防空部隊，操演被視為不對稱作戰利器的雙聯裝刺針飛彈發射系統。接著登上海軍鄭和艦，視察艦艇內部，還透過廣播對艦上官兵，說聲辛苦了。

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TPP chairman Ko Wen-je’s alleged involvement in the Core Pacific City mall corruption case has made international headlines, and not just in Hong Kong. Japan’s Nikkei Asia had an exclusive interview with Ko less than a week after his first detention and hours before he was detained once again.

Nikkei’s headline read: “Taiwan’s Ko Wen-je accuses government of witch hunt.” In the story, Ko complains that what he finds “most disappointing” is that Taiwan spent 30 years overthrowing the KMT party state, only to have most of judiciary and media now being President Lai Ching-te’s political tools. Referring to a campaign finance scandal, Ko conceded that “we dare not say that we are absolutely not wrong” but complained that the media hype had magnified mistakes. Using American politics as an analogy, Ko said if the government under the Democratic Party in the U.S. went and raided the headquarters of the Republican Party, took away the computers and information saved, and used the information to check if every move is lawful, how would this look?

Ko Wen-je (Sept. 2)
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I can’t comprehend the motive for searching the residence, office and central party headquarters of the chair of a main opposition party.

In addition to Asian media reports, European and American media are also paying close attention. Bloomberg points out that Ko has denied any wrongdoing in the Core Pacific City corruption case. AFP notes that the TPP has eight seats in the Legislative Yuan and holds the balance of power, so Ko’s actions will have a profound impact on Taiwanese politics. The BBC’s Chinese language media quotes Yeh Yao-yuan, chair of International Studies and Modern Languages at America’s University of St Thomas as saying Ko’s image of political integrity had collapsed and it would be difficult for him to politically survive. However, Yeh also predicted there would be continue to be three forces in Taiwanese politics.

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The leader of Taiwan’s third largest political party in the last week has been arrested, then released from detention before being detained again. Nikkei Asia says Ko faces several years in jail if convicted for corruption and describes this as a “potential Shakespearean twist.”

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Renowned Taiwanese K-pop star Tzuyu, from girl group Twice, has finally gone solo after nine years in the industry. She’s released her debut extended play “abouTZU”, along with a music video for the EP’s main song “Run Away.” The video shows Tzuyu breaking with her previous sweet image in favor of a more mature and sexy look. She’s also personally composed the lyrics to another song, “Fly,” and says she’d like to donate the royalties from “Fly” to help others.

Wearing a ponytail and looking more beautiful than ever, Twice member Tzuyu has released her first solo album, nine years after her debut.

The Tainan native doesn’t only make a big show of singing, but also her dancing skills. She’s the third member of Twice to go solo.

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Holding a hand-held light she teaches fans how to chant for her at concerts, her sweet smile as stunning as ever. Shuhua, another Taiwanese singer based in South Korea, shared the video on two stories on Instagram. The EP has a total of six songs. One titled “Fly” was written by Tzuyu herself.

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Hey guys! It’s your girl Tzuyu. Join my listening party on Stationhead and share your thoughts on abouTzu.

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It’s 9 a.m. The outlet mall still hasn’t opened. But already, there is a large crowd of people waiting in line for the shopping spree of the year.

Shopper
They have shoes from a lot of big brands. Of course I want to have a look and buy some. First I’ll look for shoes for the kids, and then for my mom. I’ll take a look in a bit.

Look down and you’ll notice most people in line are wearing socks and slides. That’s because of a promotion launched by the shopping center. Come dressed in this trendy Gen-Z garb, to get a voucher for NT$100.

Shopper
I’m looking for a bargain, so of course if there’s additional promotions, I’ll comply. I wouldn’t usually wear something like this, it’s not my style.

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If the size is too big or small I won’t buy them. I look for shoes I like to try them on.

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If you come across a pair you like, it’s best to snap it up fast, even if it is half a size or a full size too big. We’re expecting 2,000 shoppers to come for the promotion today.

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In Seongsu, a trendy district of Seoul, there are almost no strollers. Children are now a rarity across South Korea, which has the world’s lowest birth rate. But this pop-up store, run by a fertility clinic, is offering a new choice.

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Lee Chae-rin
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I don’t have a boyfriend now, and I don’t know when I’m going to get married. But I can’t turn back the clock on aging, so I invested money for the future to freeze my eggs.

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We haven’t really checked such behavior. There are rumors of that.

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Chien Mao-feng
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You can register in almost all the six big cities. So we’ve brought this condition in this year. If you haven’t registered yet, you can still apply for our mass wedding. We will ask Pingtung Civil Affairs Department to help all the couples complete their registration at the event on the day.

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Of course a lot of people would want to join an event like that. So accordingly the organizers should establish some rules and regulations.

Member of public
I think marriage is a personal affair. It’s something to arrange for yourself. I wouldn’t really want to do it in a public event like that.

And it’s not just that people apply again and again. There are also couples who take part in multiple mass weddings in different parts of Taiwan, sometimes having several weddings in one year. Pingtung wants to improve its communication with other counties and local governments to root out this kind of opportunistic wedding fever.

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