KMT lawmaker urges Taiwan to cane scammers

2025-10-17

A KMT lawmaker is calling on Taiwan to learn from Singapore and introduce caning as a punishment for scammers. The city-state is considering introducing harsh penalties for fraudsters, ranging from 6 to 24 strokes of the cane. The KMT’s Hung Meng-kai is urging Taiwan to follow suit, while the DPP’s Chuang Jui-hsiung says caning goes against human rights. Let’s hear from the two.

Hung Meng-kai
Lawmaker (KMT)
Taiwan lost more than NT$48 billion to scammers in the first half of the year. That is 3 to 4 times the amount of Singapore. It’s really an issue that the government must take seriously.

Chuang Jui-hsiung
Lawmaker (DPP)
The issue is that we’ve signed the two international human rights covenants. We can impose harsher penalties or raise the bar for parole. But if we set a precedent with caning, there will be no end to it.

According to Hung, scammers stole an average of NT$265 million per day in the first half of the year. Currently, punishments go as high as 12 years in prison and fines of NT$300 million.

#caning #taiwan #singapore #corporalpunishment #scam #scamalert #scammers #fraud #prison

新加坡擬以"鞭刑"重懲詐騙犯台灣跟進與否看法兩極

2025-10-17

全球詐騙層出不窮，本來就存在"鞭刑"的新加坡，近期研擬以鞭刑重懲詐騙犯，未來包括主謀、共犯，最高可強制鞭6至24下，國民黨立委洪孟楷呼籲，台灣應該也借鏡，不過民進黨立委莊瑞雄，則持不同態度。

[[立委(國) 洪孟楷]]
“台灣2025年上半年被騙了超過480億，是新加坡的3到4倍，我想這真的是值得政府大家共同正視。”

[[立委(民) 莊瑞雄]]
“麻煩就在於說，人權的兩公約我們也簽了，可以重刑，然後假釋的門檻也可以提高，但是要用鞭刑的方式，此例一開，會沒完沒了。”

台灣光是上半年，詐騙財損就高達480億，平均每天受騙2.65億元。台灣目前對於詐騙犯，最高刑責12年有期徒刑、併科3億以下罰金。

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Tropical Storm Fengshen to bring wet weather starting Sunday

2025-10-17

President visits centenarians ahead of Double Ninth Festival

The Double Ninth Festival, which occurs on the ninth day of the ninth month in the lunar calendar, falls on Oct. 29 this year. In Taiwan, this is an opportunity to celebrate the elderly. Ahead of the festival, President Lai Ching-te and Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen visited a 100-year-old man in Taichung, who shared that practicing tai chi is the secret to his longevity. Meanwhile in Miaoli, the county’s only centenarian couple was presented with certificates commemorating their long lives.

President Lai Ching-te recently went to Taichung to visit a 100-year-old man, Chen Huo-sen. Chen shared with the president the secret to his longevity.

Can we do some tai chi today?
Hahaha
Tai chi is like this.
I’ll learn a little.

Without hesitation, Chen shows the president skills he has garnered over a lifetime.

One hand goes up and the other hand goes down,
like this.
Tai chi is just like this.

Chen was once a banana farmer, but later took on a second career teaching tai chi for over 30 years, accumulating over 10,000 students. He even represented Taiwan in international tai chi competitions. Now over 100 years old, Chen said he stays healthy by exercising in the park and eating to 80% fullness at meals. Ahead of the Double Ninth Festival, which celebrates society’s elders, the president visited two centenarians in Taichung and presented them with special golden charms issued by the Presidential Office and Ministry of Health and Welfare.

In Miaoli, the county’s only centenarian couple celebrated with family and friends.

Miaoli County Commissioner Chung Tung-chin presented the couple with golden certificates issued by the Presidential Office. For Chung, this was especially meaningful, as the old woman bears the same name as his late mother.

Chung Tung-chin
Miaoli County Commissioner
This woman is called Chung Lin Yu-ying, exactly the same four characters as my mother, so of course I feel a particular closeness. Even at this age, their hearing is good and reactions are sharp.

The couple has four daughters and three sons, who said their parents were farmers and embody the traditional Hakka traits of resilience and diligence. They do almost everything themselves and stay active, which may be the secret to their longevity.

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

#DoubleNinthFestival #elders #seniors #centenarian #couple #PresidentLai #Taichung #Miaoli #taichi #longevity #health

2025-10-17

New sports minister promises to keep working hard after month in office

The Ministry of Sports was inaugurated on Sept. 9, with Taiwan’s youngest-ever minister at the helm: badminton champion Lee Yang. In the month since taking office, Lee has shown positivity and enthusiasm when promoting his flagship policies. He equates it to a game, saying that the match has only just begun and there’s still effort to be made. In the short term, apart from planning for the Asian Games in Nagoya next year, he vowed to keep listening to public needs and bring the nation together through sports.

Running a 5K before work, new Minister of Sports Lee Yang is setting an example for everyone to stay active. He’s kept it up for over month now, as Taiwan’s youngest-ever Cabinet minister.

Lee Yang
Minister of Sports
We’re still only in the first set. Since we’ve only been working for just over a month, to me, we’ve only just begun. After getting to know the job, I also hope to put forward some more proposals based on our existing work.

As the only minister who was a professional athlete, there are many expectations on Lee to bring some fresh ideas to the ministry. In the past month, apart from visiting lawmakers and industry veterans to understand current policies and hear their opinions, Lee is also going out into communities and to the Sports Training Center to listen to athletes and coaches, taking into account the needs of both competitive athletes and the general public.

Lee Yang
Minister of Sports
We’ve created a committee of athletes. There used to be one, but the members were appointed by the chair. We hope to make it better by having the athletes themselves vote and expanding it to between 7 and 11 members. Through them, we hope to in a short term gain a better understanding and create a more conducive environment for sports. Only after sports facilities improve can we use policies to encourage the public to participate in sports.

Apart from planning for the Asian Games in Nagoya next year, Lee’s short-term plans include incorporating everyone’s needs to create more comprehensive and better planning.

Lee Yang
Minister of Sports
First, we’re coming up to the Asian Games. Of course, we hope to use the resources we have—since the budget has already been set—we hope to create a plan that can better protect our athletes’ right to compete. We need to take stock of what’s needed in Taiwan as a whole and people’s expectations of us. Only after understanding these things, can we formulate a more comprehensive policy direction.

After only a month in office, Lee is showing his passion for developing sports while actively promoting reform and coordination. He hopes to oversee large strides in Taiwan’s competitiveness, as well as use sports to bring people together, no matter their background.

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

#MinistryofSports #LeeYang #youngestminister #interview #sports #athletes

2025-10-17

New perfume institute crafts scents inspired by incense and tea leaves

Collectors of exotic perfumes are in for a treat. A new fragrance research institute in Nantou is developing perfumes that smell like burning sticks of incense outside a Taiwanese temple and tea leaves. They will eventually be sold in international markets. An almost 50-year-old Taiwanese cosmetics company has founded the institute in Nantou, as well as a tourist-friendly cosmetics factory. Let’s find out more.

A new tourist-friendly cosmetics factory covering over 3,300 square meters opens with great fanfare. Nantou County Commissioner Hsu Shu-hua and Nantou Mayor Chang Chia-tse are cutting the ribbon, witnessing a local cosmetics brand reach a new milestone.

Chen Wei-chung
Cosmetics group director-general
We are working with the Nantou County government to promote tourism. This is a major county for tourism. We all know that Nantou is the Switzerland of Taiwan. So I have done my part to build factories in Nantou. In the future, the number of employees will gradually increase. Currently, there are about 50 people. That will increase to 200 or 300.

Chen Wei-chung, director-general of a major cosmetics group, is from Nantou’s Mingjian Township. Coincidentally, the Nantou County Government was developing an industrial park and wanted to promote tourist-friendly factories. Chen immediately promised the county government he would return to his hometown and make investments. He set up a tourist-friendly cosmetics factory and also built a perfume research institute for researching and developing unique Taiwanese fragrances.

Hsu Shu-hua
Nantou County Commissioner
We will let everyone understand our local culture. Particularly the smell of burning incense from incense sticks in our religion is being developed into a perfume. Nantou County is a tea capital. We will use tea leaves to make tea-leaf scented perfume.

The local brand that’s rooted in Taiwan in the future will expand internationally so that these uniquely Taiwanese fragrances can be experienced by the world.

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

#perfume #uniqueperfumes #fragrance #scent #Taiwantourism #Nantou #exoticperfumes #fragheads

2025-10-17

Taichung sees scooter laden with furniture and bus with open door

Taichung continues to live up to its reputation for traffic hazards. Recently, a public bus in the city started driving without closing its rear door, posing a danger to students crowded on the bus. In addition, a scooter was spotted driving with office furniture piled high on the seat, breaking traffic laws.

A scooter in Taichung prepares to make a left turn at a busy intersection, but its seat is piled high with furniture.

Taking a closer look, there’s an office chair, cushioned seat, metal basket, and even a water gun all carefully stacked together and tied down to the seat. Passersby couldn’t help noticing the spectacle. But driving a scooter like this is dangerous and against the law.

Liao Chin-hsiang
Police officer
If a scooter is loaded with items that are higher than the driver’s shoulders, the driver would be fined from NT$300 to NT$600 in accordance with the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act.

Another unusual traffic hazard occurred in Taichung recently, when a bus left its rear door open.

Students stand in the no-standing zone by the bus door, showing that the bus was crowded. Although it’s driving down the street, its rear door is wide open.

Ho Chang-wei
Taichung Bus assistant manager
We discovered that our driver neglected to close the door after letting passengers on and off the bus.

Member of public
This is very dangerous. It should be dealt with immediately.

Buses usually have a safety mechanism that locks the gas pedal when the doors are open. Whether it was a mechanical issue or negligence, the driver is likely to be fined by the police and bus company.

Ho Chang-wei
Taichung Bus assistant manager
We will communicate with and reeducate the driver, as well as issue a demerit as punishment. In addition, we will brief all drivers on the issue. Regarding the safety mechanism for the accelerator, our company will conduct a comprehensive inspection.

Driving with an open door poses a danger to all passengers on board. From scooters to buses, Taichung is maintaining its reputation for traffic hazards.

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

#Taichung #traffic #hazard #dangerous #scooter #bus #busdoor #opendoor #publicbus #furniture

2025-10-17

EVA Air makes public apology for flight attendant’s death

Seven days after the death of Ms. Sun, the 34-year-old EVA Air flight attendant who died after working under illness, the airline company has finally come out to make a public apology. However, the flight attendants union says the company was still being dishonest and has yet to respond to them internally. They also announce that they’ll be holding another protest in November, during the annual EVA Air Marathon.

-We express our deepest apologies to Ms. Sun’s family and the public.

EVA Air’s top-level managers bow down in apology. One week after the flight attendant’s death, the company is finally speaking publicly.

-We’re really sorry. We did not do enough. No words can…

The vice president of EVA Air’s cabin crew division chokes back tears when reading his apology. He praises Ms. Sun for her diligence while working at the company. But what about the in-flight supervisor, who allegedly did not report Ms. Sun’s condition when she fell ill on duty?

Hsiao Chin-Lung
EVA Air executive president
It’s true, that was flawed. We’re currently investigating it.

However, flight attendants are not just dissatisfied with the in-flight manager. They say the real issue is the company’s retaliatory shift scheduling if one were to take too many days off. Of course, the text message asking the deceased flight attendant to justify leave did not go unnoticed.

Yang Hsiu-Hui
EVA Air junior vice president
We’re really sorry. It was a flaw in our internal admin. Our standard of procedure is to have the supplementary documents ready before reporting for the next duty, but there’s no penalty for failed or late submission.

Chao Chieh-huan
Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union
It’s been seven days now. We still haven’t received any written apology or explanation within the company. The company also still doesn’t have any plans to improve their policy. They also lied publicly in saying that there’s no penalty should we fail to submit proof justifying leave.

The flight attendants union also showed an internal document proving that employees do get penalized if they fail to justify leave. What’s more, over the past six years, EVA Air has 24 fining records of illegal overtime work with the Ministry of Labor.

Hsu Hui-Sen
EVA Air vice president
As for the overtime cases, it’s mostly because of circumstances beyond the company’s control or expectation. For example, there was a case in 2023 when we went 2 minutes overtime because of mechanical issues on a flight to Tokyo, and we still got fined.

Lee Ying
Taoyuan Flight Attendants Union
Why would you need to hold a press conference to justify yourself and say that you’ve done so much, and that you shouldn’t have gotten fined for being overtime by two minutes? Can you not have more respect for human lives?

The union is staging a protest and offering flowers to Ms. Sun outside the EVA Air headquarters while the press conference is being held inside. The union also announces that they’ll hold another protest in November, during the EVA Air Marathon.

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

#EVAair #staralliance #flightattendant #cabincrew #shiftwork #labor #laborrights

2025-10-17

Kaohsiung delights Blinks turning pink ahead of BLACKPINK concerts

Kaohsiung is officially in full pink mode ahead of BLACKPINK’s concerts this weekend. The city’s furriest MRT Stationmaster, Mikan the cat, is leading the charge in welcoming the girl group, posing for photos with a pink towel in the fashion of a Korean spa. But he’s not the only one showing love. From pink traffic lights to pink lights illuminating landmarks, Kaohsiung is pulling out all the stops to give fans a truly unforgettable experience.

Big doll eyes open wide and with a pink towel folded on his head, celebrity stationmaster cat Mikan has joined the pink wave sweeping over Kaohsiung ahead of BLACKPINK’s two concerts this weekend.

Chang Chueh-wei
Kaohsiung MRT
Stationmaster Mikan is wearing a towel folded in the style of a Korean sauna head wrap. We took lots of cute photos of him. With his typical cute and adorable presence, Stationmaster Mikan is drumming up excitement for the concerts.

Liu Yin-chun
FTV reporter
A pink craze is taking over Kaohsiung. Not just Stationmaster Mikan. On the streets, the traffic lights are also going pink.

The pedestrian light now says “Be Blink, Be Safe,” over a pink screen, reminding BLACKPINK fans to stay safe. This limited-time sign can be spotted at five crossings, and passersby can’t get enough of it.

Passerby
Noticed the change
It’s different and striking. I think you’ll be made to look, because it doesn’t look like the average green man.

Passerby
Kaohsiung
BLACKPINK is also generating a lot of revenue! The whole city is turning pink for them.

Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung Mayor
BLACKPINK fans, remember to stay safe. After a concert, everyone gets really excited and you might not pay attention to your surroundings. So we’d like to remind everyone to be extra careful at crosswalks.

BLACKPINK is ready to delight fans in the city this weekend, turning the city into a pink paradise, for a fully immersive experience that extends way beyond the concerts.

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

#blackpink #pink #kaohsiung #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #cat #cute #special #unique #kaohsiung #travel #taiwan #concert #meow

2025-10-17

65 Taiwan-developed technologies showcased at innovation expo until Oct. 18

The Ministry of Economic Affair’s Innovation Economy Pavilion at this year’s Taiwan Innotech Expo is not to be missed! In partnership with 12 businesses, a total of 65 new technologies are on view, including an interactive display featured at Taiwan’s Tech World pavilion at Expo 2025 Osaka. Here’s your chance to see it if you couldn’t make it to Japan.

With just a few strokes from the fingertips, the patterns are transposed into a symphony.

The technology behind this 5.5m-tall interactive interface was utilized at Taiwan’s Tech World Pavilion at the recently concluded Expo 2025 Osaka. Although smaller in size, the results coming from the many displays and robotic arms still dazzle.

Kuo Chao-chung
Department of Industrial Technology, MOEA
This was what we had at the World Expo in Osaka. Through AI, your mood, the strokes you make, what you may be feeling or thinking are turned into a musical and imagery display.

There’s also this AI textile sorting system. All you need to do is place a garment onto the platform, and in just one second, the material composition is identified. Every hour, the system can identify up to 900kg of textile, making it an efficient tool for sorting up to 80,000 tons of clothing discarded every year.

Johnny Liu
Pade Technology CEO
To recycle any type of waste, you need to sort them correctly. First, sort the clothing by material, whether it’s polyester, cotton or nylon. After sorting, they can be reused. That’s how waste gets recycled. You can’t reuse old clothing without this sorting system.

AI-powered robots are also becoming smarter shop assistants. You can ask the robot directly the goods you’re looking for. There are also breakthroughs in medical applications. This device utilizes non-invasive direct current to relieve symptoms of depression. All in all, 65 technologies being showcased here demonstrate the infinite possibilities of Taiwan-developed AI.

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

#AI #robots #medtech #technology #cyborg #recycling #臺灣創新技術博覽會

2025-10-17

Han slammed for story about ‘water bamboo princess’ calves

2025-10-17

KMT lawmaker urges Taiwan to cane scammers