Organizer of Taiwan film festival in Thailand alleges Chinese intimidation

Organizer of Taiwan film festival in Thailand alleges Chinese intimidation

2026-07-23

And China is once again trying to intimidate people for being friendly to Taiwan. This time the target is the Taiwan International Documentary Festival, which kicked off its 8th edition in Bangkok on Wednesday. The Thai organizer of the festival told a local media outlet that Chinese officials had been making threatening phone calls to the cinemas taking part in the festival. What’s more, the officials even headed to the theaters in person to exert pressure. They also demanded organizers to remove the logo of Taiwan’s Ministry of Culture from all promotional materials, saying it “made them uncomfortable.”

But China’s attempts to suppress Taiwan were futile. The organizer refused to give in, telling them that, they should resolve their problems through regular diplomatic channels, such as the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs or Taiwan itself. Taiwan’s Minister of Culture Li Yuan, who is currently in Thailand, said that China was worried about Taiwan’s embrace of multiculturalism, which Beijing sees a threat to itself.

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

#thailand #taiwan #liyuan #filmfestival #bangkok

台灣影展遭中共施壓李遠:中國害怕自由.多元文化

2026-07-23

第 8 屆「台灣紀錄片與電影節」於泰國曼谷盛大登場，卻爆出中國駐泰國大使館官員暗中介入施壓！影展主辦人堤達（Thida Philtpolkarnpim）向泰國媒體《鮮新聞英文報》（Khaosod English）表示，中方官員不僅打電話恐嚇合作戲院，甚至直接親自登門侵門踏戶，強硬要求主辦單位將宣傳文宣中的台灣「文化部」名稱與 Logo 移除，聲稱看了「令人不舒服」。

面對中國無理打壓，堤達霸氣拒絕，直接反嗆對方「有問題就去走正規外交管道，不論是直接找台灣對話，還是透過泰國外交部進行溝通！」展現超硬態度。對此，文化部長李遠出席活動回應，中國是擔憂台灣多元文化，對他們造成衝擊，才會做出這舉動。

更多新聞內容，請鎖定：
民視台灣台（152頻道）週一至週五晚上9:30
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Giant meals to challenge gastronomers at Cijin Kite Festival

The 2026 Cijin Kite Festival is to take place near Love Gate at Cijin Beach over the two weekends from July 25 to August 2. This year the festival is going big, featuring enormous meals such as a massive seafood platter, Boston cream pie, and shaved ice bowl. Even professional eater Puff said she was stuffed by the end. Meanwhile, over at Sizihwan, food discounts hope to entice people over to Cijin, where they can enjoy the best sea views in all of Kaohsiung.

The YouTuber Puff, known for eating on her channel, is taking on this enormous seafood platter with lobster, squid, shrimp, and more. Even she said it’s a lot. There’s also this huge Boston cream pie and bowl of shaved ice, all on offer at the 2026 Cijin Kite Festival.

Puff Ku
YouTuber
The limited-edition food is the best part of the Cijin Kite Festival, because they’re all gigantic! They’re also delicious.

Shops in Sizihwan are also offering discounts for the event. On these hot summer days, nothing beats an icy treat, like this handmade gelato with seasonal fruit. Even the drinks are works of art. The food enclave next to the Gushan Ferry Pier also has lots of specials.

Fried pork cutlet is placed gently on a bed of rice, then drenched in curry for the most satisfying of meals. Ramen, gyoza, drink shops… They’re all partnering with the festival.

Kao Min-lin
Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau director-general
For this event, beyond the entire Cijin area, we’ve also brought in the surrounding neighborhoods of Cijin, Yancheng, Hamasen, Shaochuantou, and Sizihwan. Through holding events like this, we hope to draw tourists to Kaohsiung’s most beautiful bay.

This year’s festival is going big in every way, including with the nationwide debut of two giant, 35-meter whale kites. By bringing in the best Sizihwan has to offer, the city hopes visitors will use public transit to travel between Cijin and Gushan, enjoying giant kites and giant bites along the way.

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

#Kaohsiung #CijinKiteFestival #Cijin #Sizihwan #giantfood #Puff #seafood #kites

2026-07-23

Sixth grader wows with lifelike anatomical drawings

A proud mother in Kaohsiung recently shared her son’s lifelike anatomical drawings online, where people were amazed by their realism. They look like they should be the work of a college student at least, but the artist only just finished sixth grade. Recent elementary school graduate Hu Chun-hsiang finds inspiration from his dad’s work as a firefighter and paramedic. Starting from these anatomical drawings, his ultimate goal is to become a doctor.

A textbook on human anatomy open at his side, this young artist quickly begins sketching body parts with a practiced hand. He shows clear mastery of shading to crate incredibly lifelike muscle tendons. Next to the sketches, he annotates their scientific names in Chinese. These could easily be the notes of a medical professional. But the artist actually just finished sixth grade.

Mr. Hu
Hu Chun-hsiang’s father
After he was done with his homework, he’d come home from school and just want to play video games. Especially since he just finished elementary school, we didn’t want him to be on screens all the time.

Worried that their son would be glued to screens the entire summer vacation, Hu Chun-hsiang’s father encouraged him to draw, promising NT$30 for every completed sketch. To their astonishment, the drawings he got back were impressive. His mother posted a few online, racking up 110,000 likes in just one day.

Mr. Hu
Hu Chun-hsiang’s father
I’m a firefighter, so I have some textbooks on anatomy. He would sometimes pick them up to flip through. He developed an interest in the drawings, and then started copying them himself.

- So you want to study medicine?
- Yeah. That’s my goal, but it’s not a given.
- Just keep studying hard. Harder, even.
- Right, study hard.

Without knowing it, flipping through his father’s textbooks and doodling as a child fueled a passion for anatomical drawing. Since the start of summer vacation, he’s made 16 drawings for an allowance of NT$480. When he grows up, Hu Chun-hsiang hopes to keep following his passion toward a career in medicine.

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

#anatomicaldrawings #drawing #artist #youngartist #futuredoctor #talent #summervacation

2026-07-23

Ambulance driver furious after cars refuse to make way for baby

2026-07-23

Child flies out onto asphalt after car door swings open

Road users in Chiayi were horrified after a child flew out of a car and onto the middle of the road on Wednesday afternoon. The kid was in the back passenger seat of a car that was making a turn at an intersection. As the car turned right, the inertia of the curve swung the gate open, and sent the kid falling out to roll on the asphalt. It’s thought the kid wasn’t properly secured to the seat, and that the child safety lock was not activated.

Everything appears as normal initially, but once the black car turns right, the back left door swings open, and a child falls out, straight onto the asphalt. Even in slo-mo it looks awfully painful. The car immediately hits the brakes after noticing the young passenger rolling out of the vehicle.

The kid’s parents get off the car and bring the kid back onboard. Fortunately, traffic wasn’t too heavy, or it could’ve been a tragedy.

- I’d freak out. Raising kids is not easy.

The incident happened at 5 on Wednesday afternoon near a preschool, on Chuiyang Road in Chiayi. Other motorists were left staring in shock. Perhaps the door wasn’t closed properly, or the parents didn’t activate the child safety lock. Whatever the reason, the kid ended up flying out of the vehicle on a road that’s usually packed with cars and buses. That was a close one.

- If the kid had gotten run over… it would be the end.

Lu Jung-chi
Police officer
Children under 12 not sitting in child safety seats, or who are not wearing seatbelts can cause the driver to face fines of between NT$1,500 and NT$3,000.

Carelessness comes at a price. And even then, most cars have child safety locks.

Chen Shan-shan
FTV reporter
If you have kids and worry that they might open the car door, you can just press the child safety lock to prevent any fly-outs.

Mr. Yang
Car technician
These locks that open from the outside are a must.

These safety locks can usually be found in the back doors. Once they are activated, the doors can only be opened from the outside. That way, even if kids accidentally open the handle, they will stay safe inside the car. The incident in Chiayi ended with a child on the floor in the middle of the road. But fortunately it was nothing worse than a scare.

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

#car #taiwan #wow #road #chiayi #嘉義 #childsafety

2026-07-23

Unseated child causes flight to delay landing in Kaohsiung

2026-07-23

Immigration entry-exit stamp shapes hold secret meaning

As people go abroad for summer vacation, they’ve noticed that the entry and exit stamps have different shapes. Turns out there’s a secret meaning behind it! The National Immigration Agency’s Border Affairs Corps explained that the exit stamp is round to symbolize complete and smooth travels, while the entry stamp is an octagon representing the bagua to ward of evil. The characters were written by renowned calligrapher Tong Yang-tze, whose tiny extra dot on the entry stamp also has a special meaning.

Travelers hold their passports, ready to go abroad on vacation. Most people won’t take a second look at what the immigration officer stamped inside. But if you look closely, you’ll find the entry and exit stamps are actually different shapes.

- I never really noticed it.

- I never really looked.

When the National Immigration Agency redesigned the stamp in 2012, they kept some elements the same, but they also invited renowned calligrapher Tong Yang-tze to write the characters.

The exit stamp is round to symbolize a perfect and complete journey, while the entry stamp is the octagonal bagua to represent warding off evil and bringing good fortune. If you look carefully at the character they both share, you’ll find that the calligrapher added an extra dot to the entry stamp.

Kang Ching-nien
Border Affairs Corp officer
I was a bit confused when I first noticed that the one character in the entry stamp has an extra dot. How could she have made a mistake? But as I thought about it, I realized the artist intended it as a wish to bring more travelers to Taiwan.

The second character in the entry stamp has an extra dot on the left side. It’s not a mistake. It represents a wish that more people will come and boost Taiwan’s tourism.

There’s so much to these stamps, and that’s not all. They are also a kind of anti-forgery measure.

Kang Ching-nien
Border Affairs Corp officer
Making a minor redesign also helps to prevent human trafficking syndicates from forging our stamps.

But as the automatic gates are getting more use, the stamps aren’t being used as often. The stamp that should be replaced every five years has now been in use for eight. The next time you go abroad, consider going through the manual inspection lane to see the stamp for yourself!

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

#passportstamps #immigration #NIA #travel #passports #bagua #TongYangtze #calligraphy

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Pili hero Su Huan-jen takes stage in Jiufen for Red Lantern Festival

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Greek amusement parks transforms into Jurassic Park with 18 life-sized beasts

Looking to attract kids off on summer vacation, an amusement park in Kaohsiung has transformed from its usual ancient Greek theme to a full-blown Jurassic Park with 18 enormous animatronic dinosaurs scattered throughout the grounds. Visitors can try their hand at being “little archeologists,” or enjoy a dinosaur feeding show. Even the shops, hotels, and restaurants have committed to the theme.

A triceratops welcomes visitors by the roadside, alongside a dilophosaurus and a ferocious T-rex flanked by a velociraptor. This entire theme park has transformed into a Jurassic world.

Visitors can find 18 enormous animatronic dinosaurs throughout this amusement park on Kaohsiung’s Guanyin Mountain, which is normally styled after ancient Greece. The theme aims to attract families looking for a summer vacation spot.

Visitor
You can hear the roars of dinosaurs all around, and they even move. They’re all super lifelike.

Visitor
The dinosaurs are humongous. They really seem real.

Visitor
The dinosaurs are huge. It’s my first time bringing my kids here. They seem really happy.

Mara Wang
Park general manager
We have a “little archeologist” activity and dinosaur feeding shows, and our hotel also offers dinosaur-themed rooms.

Integrating the theme park, hotel, and restaurants creates a one-stop tourism ecosystem, allowing visitors to immerse in the theme while doing everything from water-based activities, to watching performances, dining, and shopping.

Mara Wang
Park general manager
At our Volcano Stage, we’re featuring a water-spraying dinosaur and more. For Halloween, we’ll have dinosaur skeletons, and for Christmas, we’ll have a snowflake party and other activities to enjoy the snow alongside the dinos.

These lifelike dinosaurs aren’t just a backdrop to the park’s rides—they’ll also be a part of events for major holidays. Throughout the rest of the year, visitors can watch as these dinos invade ancient Greece!

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

#Kaohsiung #amusementpark #dinosaurs #summervacation #familyvacation #themepark

2026-07-23

MOFA reconsidering relationship with Papua New Guinea

A few days ago Papua New Guinea suddenly announced it was closing the Taipei Economic Office, a unilateral move that’s believed to be due to China playing unfair games. Also unfair is the difference in media budgets for Taiwan and China, because Taiwanese ministries like the Mainland Affairs Council only has a media budget of NT$10 million annually to compete against China, which has well over NT$200 billion to paint itself in a positive light.

Just hearing the tone of DPP lawmaker Lin Chu-yin’s voice is enough to know the sense of injustice she’s feeling now. She’s standing up for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mainland Affairs Council, who have been fighting an unfair battle ever since KMT and TPP lawmakers slashed their media budgets. With China spending over NT$200 billion a year on media, it’s clearly a situation of David versus Goliath.

Shen Yu-chung
Mainland Affairs Council
For our media budget, it’s basically only a little more than NT$10 million a year, yet over there they have an enormous amount of funds, so they’re able to produce a lot of media and information that portrays them in a positive light. In the future all this content will become part of their database, which AI systems will then share with countries around the world.

China’s more than willing to play dirty, including cyber warfare and a host of methods to suppress Taiwan, such as getting Papua New Guinea to close their Taiwan office. MOFA revealed that Papua New Guinea asked for the Taipei Economic Office to have its name changed, which is still at the negotation stage. The sudden attitude change in Papua New Guinea seems contradictory, as Taiwan’s CPC signed a 20-year procurement contract for natural gas.

Lin Chia-lung
Foreign minister
In Papua New Guinea, there’s only one person: that minister. It’s because of his relationship with China, in which they give him certain benefits. It’s all because his electoral district is connected to the airport.

Ma Wen-chun
Lawmaker (KMT)
With what Papua New Guinea is doing, they wouldn’t be able to do it with just one minister making all the decisions by himself. It’s clear as day that they don’t see us as important, which is an attitude that can’t be held by just one minister.

Lin Chia-lung
Foreign minister
We’ll continue to discuss the trade relationship between Taiwan and Papua New Guinea, which of course involves natural gas procurement. We’ve called on the Papua New Guinea government to take an honest look at the amount Taiwan has invested into Papua New Guinea in terms of international exchange and economic cooperation.

China is doubling down on its cognitive warfare efforts, showing it’s fully committed to unscrupulous behavior. And what’s making life even easier for China’s government is Taiwan’s opposition lawmakers slashing media budgets.

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

#PapuaNewGuinea #MOFA #China #Taiwan #TaipeiEconomicOffice #unfairfight

2026-07-23