Chang Ching-sen quits DPP after Yilan approved to get HSR

Chang Ching-sen quits DPP after Yilan approved to get HSR

2026-07-24

The Executive Yuan recently passed the proposal to extend the high-speed rail to Yilan, a plan that has supporters and detractors. One critic is Chang Ching-sen, a veteran lawmaker who shockingly announced he was leaving the DPP over the Executive Yuan’s decision to extend the HSR to Yilan. Chang’s sudden decision was not understood by many, including Yilan residents who are looking forward to the HSR being a transportation option.

Cho Jung-tai
Premier
I’m still going to ask Chang Ching-sen, to see if he’ll be willing to continue working with us on this plan of ours to extend the high-speed rail to Yilan.

Yilan resident
Fan of HSR, not of driving
Having the HSR makes traveling more convenient. Like if we want to go to the south, now we need to transfer first at an HSR station. If we can go down south directly, isn’t that more convenient? Driving is tiring.

Yilan resident
Fan of evidence-based decisions
I think he should’ve pointed out some more data if he wanted to convince us to think the way he does. Because, in the end, to those of us living in Yilan, I think this proposal is something that’ll be an important mode of transportation for us.

Hochen Tan
Former minister of transportation
I think, to us, the decision that’s been made is shocking, it’s even something we can’t understand. The only thing that explains it is Cho, after something suddenly happened, made a decision, in order to skirt some issues. But avoiding something like this, whether it’s a political maneuver or manipulating an election, it’s just not something we do as politicians.

In general, Yilan residents support the HSR being extended, as this will benefit the area’s transportation. Chang, however, is not the only politician who finds the proposal’s timing to be peculiar. Former transport minister Hochen Tan also questions why the HSR extension was approved in the midst of an upcoming election. Nevertheless, the Executive Yuan passed the proposal, which will cost over NT$352 billion and has a goal of being open by 2036. Once complete, an HSR train from Yilan to Nangang will take just 28 minutes.

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#Yilan #HSR #MOTC #highspeedrail #statsnotstories #bullettrain #EastTaiwan

不滿高鐵延伸宜蘭計畫張景森退出民進黨

2026-07-24

行政院拍板高鐵延伸宜蘭計畫，過去曾多次質疑，宜蘭運輸效益低的前政務委員張景森在臉書發文表示，自己無法認同卓榮泰為了地方選舉利多，去蓋一條沒有用的盲腸高鐵，還宣布即日起退出民進黨。對此，行政院長卓榮泰透露，未來還是會積極邀請張景森，一起讓高鐵延伸宜蘭工作順利進行。

[[行政院長卓榮泰]]
“我還是會積極的來，請張景森前主委未來能夠，繼續跟我們一起把高鐵延伸宜蘭這個規劃，我希望他一起來合作”

[[宜蘭民眾]]
“高鐵是比較方便，像我們要去到南部的話，還要轉車，如果直接有下去的話，不是更方便嗎，開車很累”

[[宜蘭民眾]]
“我覺得他應該要提出更多數據來去說服大家，畢竟這個提案對於，我們當地居民來說，我覺得也是算是一個，重要的交通”

[[前交通部長賀陳旦]]
“我覺得這次的決定讓我們太愕然，甚至於會覺得不解，變成唯一的解釋就是，在想辦法突然之間做決定，來迴避一些事情，這樣的迴避，我覺得不管是政治的動作，還是選舉的操作都不可取”

宜蘭居民普遍看好，高鐵延伸能帶來交通利多，不過不只張景森，前交通部長賀陳旦也質疑選前通過宜蘭高鐵延伸案，有政治考量。行政院拍板通過的"高鐵延伸宜蘭案"，總經費約3521.75億，目標2036年通車，未來28分鐘，就能從南港到宜蘭。

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Isn’t it boring having a scooter that’s just one color? The National Palace Museum thinks so. In a creative collab, they’re selling electric scooters wrapped with motifs from the Tibetan Dragon Canon.

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Some people love it, while others don’t get the appeal. But regardless, it’s 100% genuine Made in Taiwan.

Voice of Wei Chuan
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Combining Taiwanese manufacturing with artistic design to develop an electric scooter based on the Tibetan Dragon Canon also incorporates concepts of energy conservation and carbon reduction.

Tung Ya-yun
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The Canon conveys wishes for a smooth journey, as well as peace and attracting wealth. Like the amulet and wallet I’m holding, people can use these items in their daily life.

The Canon, packed with images of the Buddha and dragon motifs, is currently on display at the National Palace Museum. Visitors said they had more energy and felt positive after seeing it in person. But did they really?

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Whether it really brings sudden enlightenment by divine intervention is a matter of personal opinion. Or maybe the key is sincerity!

For more Taiwan news, tune in:
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Residents hand paint their own traffic signage in alley, causing crash

Some residents living in a small alley in Banqiao have taken both their creativity and the law into their own hands. They’ve painted their own traffic signage in the alley with garish colors and an obvious home-made feel. This has already caused a motorcyclist to have an accident by slipping on one of their hand-painted markings. And, unsurprisingly, the police say this is all illegal. Let’s find out more.

A motorcyclist rode into an alley and ran over a patch of paint on the ground. The vehicle then got out of control and the rider crashed. On closer inspection, the motorcyclist realized that the asphalt road here looked a little, well, unusual.

The entire area is covered in garish paint, complete with crooked yellow dotted lines and traffic signs never seen anywhere else—it’s like stepping into another world.

Hung Chiao-hsuan
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Returning to the scene of the accident, we can actually see that the traffic markings on the asphalt road are extremely sloppy and even include simplified Chinese characters.

This mysterious alley is located near Songbai Street in Banqiao District, New Taipei City. The yellow area means no littering, the red circle means no cigarette butts, and the yellow dotted line means be careful of uneven road surfaces. These are not official traffic signs, but rather signage painted by the residents themselves.

Resident
Painted the traffic directions
We painted these ourselves. The Transportation Department didn’t paint these lines. Like that slow sign, I spray painted that myself too. That corner is very dangerous, often downhill and a blind spot. We spray painted this all ourselves.

This alley only leads to one household. People are questioning if they are treating a public road as their private property. However, those involved say they have good intentions. They want to beautify the environment, improve traffic and make the place even more vibrant.

Resident
Painted the traffic directions
My wife just does what she feels like. She wanted to paint blue colors and green in the back. It’s just to keep this place clean and look nice.

However, private individuals are strictly prohibited from drawing markings on public roads—especially using regular paint, which has already caused a motorcyclist to slip and fall.

Cheng Yu-wen
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The Transportation Department and Banqiao District Office have been notified to restore the road. For the unauthorized installation or alteration of traffic signs and markings, and the arbitrary placement of obstacles, our precinct will issue a citation for this violation in accordance with Article 82 of the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act.

Road markers can’t be painted by individuals on a whim, nor can the public invent their own traffic rules, or they’ll end up being ticketed and fined.

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Thousands nationwide join group searching for painted stones

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A child squats down on the grass, searching for something. Another kid is helped by her mother as she scrounges around under some trees. The entire park is full of kids walking with their heads down, searching.

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- I found six! This way I don’t have to stay at home. If I’m home, my dad makes me do homework.

- I wait to see who hid them, then I’ll rush out to look. I’ll go even if it’s raining.

Everyone is looking for these colorful rocks. It’s part of a nationwide treasure hunt started by the Facebook group “Xiaoshitou,” or “(Pick up) Stones.” It now has over 80,000 members, with people who share clues for where to find the rocks. Searchers then comment when they find them.

Parent
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The creator of the group is a young married couple. They discovered the game during their honeymoon in Australia three years ago, and decided to bring it back with them to Taiwan.

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And if you’ve ever wanted to experience a military-style combat scenario without the danger of live ammunition, the Defense Ministry is giving the public a chance to do just that. It has launched its first-ever nationwide airsoft shooting competition, featuring close-quarters combat simulations, tactical shooting and even battlefield casualty-care challenges. The goal is to build practical skills, teamwork and whole-of-society defense resilience. This Saturday, the northern regional event will kick off at National Defense University.

The enemy has captured intelligence personnel. The squad storms in and enters a close-quarters battle, quickly taking aim and opening fire.

This weekend, the Ministry of National Defense will hold its first-ever airsoft gun shooting competition. The northern regional event will take place at National Defense University’s Fu Hsing Kang Campus. Participants will be put to the test on their combat skills and casualty care in close quarters.

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Apparently, the Love River is for lovers, not swimmers. The police later notified Kaohsiung’s Tourism Bureau, who will fine the Austrian national anywhere between NT$5,000 and NT$25,000.

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Kaohsiung Police Department
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Despite the city government’s recent policy of “returning the river to the people,” currently only a few areas allow people into the water, providing that they use non-motorized floating devices. People are not allowed to swim wherever and whenever they please.

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The river’s gotten a lot cleaner ever since the government started regulating it. But still it’s not a good place to swim like that, because there’s dangerous aspects involved.

Visitors from other countries might not be familiar with local laws, but even a fine of NT$25,000 will hurt much less than a swimming experience that ends in tragedy.

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