Ship captain sentenced for severing cable linking Taiwan and Penghu

Ship captain sentenced for severing cable linking Taiwan and Penghu

2025-06-12

The Chinese captain of a Togolese-registered vessel that allegedly severed an undersea communication cable linking Taiwan and Penghu in February has been sentenced to three-years in prison by the Tainan District Court.

His vessel, which is believed to be backed by Chinese capital, had been loitering in waters off the coast of Beimen District in Tainan County and traveled zigzag over the cable in an apparent attempt at sabotage. Prosecutors argued that he used the ship’s anchor to cut the cable. The captain, who has been identified in the media only by his surname of "Wang," denied any involvement in the case. However, the court ruled that the captain would have had knowledge of the region he was sailing in.

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千面船! "宏泰58"拖斷海底電纜中國船長遭判刑3年

2025-06-12

具有中資背景的多哥共和國籍”宏泰58”，今年2月行經台南北門區外海時，疑似下錨在警戒區域內，並以Z字型移動，涉嫌用貨輪錨抓，勾斷台澎3號海底電纜線，破壞台灣與澎湖間通信往來

雖然王姓船長否認涉案，但法院判定，船長應對航行海域有所掌握，台南地院審理後，對中國籍王姓船長判刑3年。

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A tropical depression approaches Eastern Taiwan

We begin with the weather. Although Tropical Storm Wutip, the first tropical storm of the year, has not affected Taiwan directly, the outer cloud system of a tropical depression currently southeast of Taiwan has brought heavy rain to Hualien and Taitung. Late last night, a small river suddenly formed in front of an elementary school in Taitung’s Jinfeng Township, leaving a road cracked with holes filled with water. On Lanyu, Hongtou Creek saw a sudden spike in its water levels, with a deluge of rapidly moving mud.

Brown mud pours out continuously towards the sea.

At the other end of the stream, the water level rose sharply and there were mudslides. Lanyu’s Badai Bay and Hongtou Creek were all affected by the approach of an outer cloud system from a tropical depression and the rain came down in buckets.

Jinfeng Township in Taitung was also affected. An industrial road in front of Hsin Hsing Elementary School was cracked and had holes. Rainwater got in all the cavities, forming small ponds.

Chiang Cheng-kuang
Jinfeng Township mayor
The ditch had some cracks that aren’t visible to the eye that became enlarged and eroded. This resulted in some ridges on the asphalt while the layers underneath get washed away. At the same time, the overflowing water washed over the surface of the road, and the lower layer of the original asphalt road has sunk deeper into the earth.

The heavy rain came quickly and suddenly, and water was unable to be drained properly from the ditch, causing the already cracked asphalt road to be further damaged. Today Jinfeng’s township mayor will also conduct more inspections with his team and find ways to provide residents with a safe way to return home. Now, let’s turn to Hualien.

A road is heavily flooded. Cars splash water when passing slowly by. All they can do is slow down to avoid skidding.

Excavators and Highway Bureau vehicles stand guard at the entrance of Suhua Highway tunnel fearing that the rain will get heavier and there will be landslides in mountainous areas. Even though the rain has stopped, the Highway Bureau dares not let down its guard.

Voice of Lin Wen-hsiung
Highway Bureau
The Suhua Highway has three points: Heren tunnel, Huide tunnel and Chongde. We have stationed a bulldozer, an excavator and carts, along with repair and security personnel. They are now on standby at the scene. Of course we don’t rule out that there could be advance warning that parts of the road could be closed off.

The seas around Turtle Island in Yilan were also affected. Waves surged at the dock and there were large drops in elevation between high and low tides. For safety reasons, the island was closed for one day and officials in the eastern regions were on high alert to prevent against any disasters.

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#taitung #lanyu #weather #climatechange #extremeweather

2025-06-12

Screens at Taipei’s Daan Forest Park show simplified characters

In Taipei’s Daan Forest Park, electronic signboards outside the public restrooms display simplified Chinese characters, mystifying passersby. In response, the city government said the signboard was donated by the Friends of Daan Forest Park Foundation. The manufacturer wants to keep a low profile and is refusing to comment. Let’s find out more.

Meng Chia-mei
FTV reporter
There are four electronic screens forming two walls with electronic signage outside the No.1 public toilet in Taipei’s Daan Forest Park. However, some people have discovered they are all displaying simplified Chinese characters.

Information displayed on the electronic signboards is in simplified Chinese characters and terms more commonly used in China. Some Taipei residents cannot accept this.

Member of the public
Of course not. This is Taiwan, so of course we use traditional Chinese characters.

Member of the public
The Taipei City Government’s approach is clearly about denial. It denies itself and affirms our enemy nation. Mayor Chiang Wan-an has disappointed the citizens of Taipei. Although I did not vote for him, I will not vote for him next time either. I think he has confused the values of the entire Taiwanese people and made them unable to distinguish between friend and foe.

Programs from China Central Television were broadcast on a big screen outside the Taipei City Government after the New Years countdown. Six months later, Chinese content appeared again in a government-run site. Councilors have criticized this in the Taipei City Council.

Yen Juo-fang
Taipei City councilor (DPP)
Mayor, we want to investigate what system is being used. After all, many systems used in Taipei City may sometimes get inside the city government.

Are these screens and systems made in China? Or were they donated by a Chinese company? Anyhow, there are concerns about information security and Chinese capital. The city government’s Parks and Streets Light Office admitted that it has received complaints. However, they also said public toilets’ electronic signage and systems were donated by the Friends of Daan Forest Park Foundation and the city government did not take part in the procurement process. They have also asked the foundation to adjust the signage back to traditional Chinese characters as soon as possible. This reporter went to the site and encountered the manufacturer and a member of the foundation making an on-site inspection and entering a machine room to make adjustments. But as for the electronic signage, why did traditional Chinese characters change to simplified characters? The manufacturer wanted to keep a low profile and refused to comment, other than to say that as the electronic signs are exported to many countries, they already have built-in simplified Chinese characters.

Yen Juo-fang
Taipei City councilor (DPP)
Don’t we have park rangers? Didn’t they see this? Such a big screen and they never saw a thing? This should not appear. I am demanding that you supply us with an investigation within a week.

Taipei City Councilors are demanding that an investigation be completed within a week. The city government should not use the excuse of a private donation to shirk its responsibilities of oversight.

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#crossstrait #Taiwan #China #Chineseinfiltration # DaanForestPark

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ITRI hosts conference on renewable energy storage

The Industrial Technology Research Institute, or ITRI on Wednesday held a conference on energy storage and grid resilience. Renewables play a crucial role in achieving the global target of net-zero emissions by 2050. However, its greatest weakness is that of intermittency. Energy storage systems are therefore needed to stabilize the grid, as renewables account for an increasing share of the energy mix. At the event, representatives of Taipower and other industry leaders discussed strategies to build relevant supply chains in Taiwan as well as facilitate the country’s transition towards net zero.

ITRI President Edwin Liu poses for a group photo with representatives of the Energy Administration, Taipower and other industry leaders at a conference on energy storage and grid resilience. In order to contribute to the global target of net-zero emissions by 2050, Taiwan is also actively promoting green and renewable energies, optimized by energy storage systems.

Edwin Liu
ITRI President
Energy storage and renewable energy are like dance partners. If there’s renewable energy, then it’s best to also have energy storage systems, or ESS. What ESS can do is stabilize and fortify electricity systems.

Energy storage greatly remedies renewable energy intermittency, balancing out the electricity levels of the grid during peak and off-peak hours. This ensures a stable electricity supply and optimizes renewable energy, which reduces net carbon emissions. Meanwhile, Taipower also shared how the company successfully prevented a mass blackout in the aftermath of the 2024 Hualien Earthquake that caused power unit trips. An electricity trading platform and energy storage systems allowed Taipower to dispatch privately generated electricity. Other industry representatives also suggested deploying behind-the-meter energy storage, so that Taiwan can achieve energy self-sufficiency of up to 80% to 90%.

Chen I-ping
Ensilience GM
Some industrial-grade energy storage systems with greater wattage are one with around 2 megawatts for two hours, and another with around 3 megawatts for two hours. They can both ensure uninterrupted electricity supply and even act in tandem with cogeneration systems. Combining renewables and storage applications helps factories save on electricity bills and also lowers carbon emissions.

Ivan Cheng
Ancillary Power
The whole world is working on reducing carbon emissions. Whether it’s wind or solar power, the greatest challenge to electricity systems posed by renewables is their greater intermittency and variability. For that distinctive characteristic, energy storage has important role to play.

Moreover, according to the International Energy Agency, the total energy storage volume is projected to be six times that of the present, offering immense business opportunities. At the conference, industry, government and academia are devising plans to create relevant supply chains to seize the opportunity while also help Taiwan achieve its net-zero targets.

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#technology #netzero #ESS #energystorage #SDGs #impact #COP30

2025-06-12

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai tops survey of mayors of major cities

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai has the highest satisfaction ratings among the mayors of Taiwan’s six special municipalities, according to a Commonwealth Magazine survey. He has been ranked as a five-star mayor for the second time in a row. He came in at No. 1 in terms of satisfaction with his administration and also in eight major policy areas, including traffic, education and medical care. That’s the best results Kaohsiung has gotten in nine years. Chen thanked both his citizens for their support and his team for their hard work.

After receiving a trophy, Chen Chi-mai just can’t hide the smile on his face. The Kaohsiung mayor was once again ranked a five-star mayor. Satisfaction levels with his administration and policies in eight areas including traffic, medical care and education were the highest among Taiwan’s six special municipalities, the best results for Kaohsiung in nine years.

Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung Mayor
From 3.5, we have improved by half a star each year. We were rated 5 last year and 5 this year. It’s a pity it only goes up to 5. Otherwise, today we would be 5.5.

Chen has let the world see the charm of Kaohsiung. He introduced the Japanese anime characters of Chiikawa to the port city. The production value of tourism has since surged past NT$10 billion. Last year, the music concert economy exploded, creating a further NT$5.7 billion in tourism production values. Kaohsiung has now become the preferred city for concerts.

Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung Mayor
Economic development has gone from being the last of the six cities, when we were rundown and poor, to now being No. 1 in terms of satisfaction with the six special municipalities.

Having been rated five stars for two consecutive years, Chen has been working hard to transform Kaohsiung’s industries. He is actively developing AI technology applications, continuously adding on parks and green spaces, expanding public childcare and creating a livable Kaohsiung.

Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung Mayor
I hope that during my term the city can be transformed, industry can be further developed and it can also respond to the all kinds of challenges in urban governance, such as extreme weather events. I promise I will do my best and fight until the last second.

The poll reflects city residents’ approval of the Kaohsiung government’s efforts. Chen said that Kaohsiung’s pursuit of innovation and change would not stop, and the city must continue to move forward confidently and courageously.

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#kaohsiung #governance #city #cityplanning #taiwan #陳其邁

2025-06-12

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