Group of 5 rafters will not be fined after deadly rescue operation

Group of 5 rafters will not be fined after deadly rescue operation

2026-09-04

Controversy has erupted over the rescue operation for five rafters whose vessel overturned during an outing on the Zhuoshui River in Nantou last Sunday. The four-day rescue operation involved a massive deployment of personnel, a Black Hawk helicopter, and the tragic death of a firefighter. But an investigation into the incident has found that there are no legal grounds to issue a fine or seek compensation from the rafters.

According to the Water Resources Agency’s Fourth River Management branch, the group of five did not violate the Water Act, as they had parked their vehicle away from the water, and walked down to the river themselves. Meanwhile, Nantou’s Fire Department says that despite the high cost of the rescue operation, it has no basis on which to seek reimbursements. Under current regulations, fines can be imposed on people engaging in mountain climbing activities. But since rafting is classified as a water-based recreational activity, nothing can be done. Nantou Commissioner Hsu Shu-hua says the existing regulations will be reviewed.

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#rafting #rescue #firefighting #nantou #taiwan #river

濁水溪泛舟案釀"消防員殉職" 消防局:無法可罰

2026-09-04

南投濁水溪泛舟翻覆事件，5位泛舟客都被救出，但搜救4天當中，除了耗費大量人力，出動黑鷹直升機，還造成1名消防員殉職，現在調查結果出爐，不但無法可罰，也沒辦法求償，引發爭議。

第四河川分署表示，因為他們是把車停好再徒步下水，未違反《水利法》規定。南投縣消防局則表示，搜救相關高額成本，目前也難以向當事人追償，因為現行法規，是針對限定區域從事登山活動開罰，而這群人從事的泛舟，在法律上被認定是"水域遊憩活動"，並非山域。南投縣長許淑華表示，將全面重新檢視法規。

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At a new park in Yunlin’s Dounan Township, a drone was recently seen hovering low to the air next to the playground. As there’s a highway right above the park, people worried it might cause an accident. The transportation ministry said that flying drones within 30 meters of a highway is illegal and carries a fine of up to NT$300,000.

As kids play happily on the swings, you can see a drone in front of them, hovering low in the air right next to the playground.

Someone recorded this at a new park in Yunlin’s Dounan Township. The playground is right below a highway, which protects it from rain. As lots of families come here on the weekends, people are worried the drone could be dangerous.

Parent
Thinks drone is dangerous
I think it’s inappropriate. Since there are lots of children here, I worry there could be an accident.

Parent
Thinks drone is dangerous
I’m worried that it might hit a child or crash into them.

Parent
Thinks drone is dangerous
It’s dangerous. If it loses control, it could hit a machine or a person, hurting someone. Highway 78 is right above, so it could even affect traffic.

It’s not only right by the playground, but Provincial Highway 78 is right above the park, so it could influence traffic safety.

Wang Ling-yao
Yunlin Transportation Department director
Drone operators must follow the Civil Aviation Act and drone regulations, including that the drone cannot be more than 120 meters above the ground and must stay at least 30 meters away from highways, expressways, and railways. Any activity that violates these regulations is prohibited, with offenders facing fines of up to NT$300,000.

Chang Cheng-hsiung
Formosa drone association chair
It was being flown above a children’s playground. Even the slightest error or interference could cause it to fall or collide with something.

People shouldn’t do anything risky just for the sake of taking photos or having fun, or they could end up facing heavy fines.

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

#drone #playground #danger #highway #illegal #fine #Yunlin #park

2026-09-04

KMT chair appears to be slapped by party bigwig at rally

With the KMT and TPP set to run different mayoral candidates in Zhubei City, the breakdown between the parties seems to be spilling over into other areas. That included a rally on Thursday, where former Hsinchu County commissioner Fan Chen-tsung seemed to be berating KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun. To make matters worse, Fan even appeared to have tried to slap Cheng. With in-fighting in the KMT and the frenemy relationship between the KMT and TPP on the rocks, the lead-up to the fall election is not going smoothly for the opposition parties.

- If we don’t win this election,
then we’ll blame the biggest criminal of all, you.

Former Hsinchu County commissioner Fan Chen-tsung wasn’t just being verbally abusive towards KMT Chair Cheng Li-wun. A bit later Fan’s behavior even turned violent.

This open-palm slap shocked spectators at the political rally. Standing behind Cheng, Fan pushed her from behind and when she turned to look back he unleashed what looked like a face smack.

Lee Chien-lung
KMT Vice Chair
I think that was just a friendly gesture, kind of like touching you lightly like this. It wasn’t some type of slap, nothing serious like that. And he also even said the idiom “deep love leads to strict discipline.”

Although KMT Vice Chair Lee said the incident was good–natured at its core, viewing it in slow-motion tells a different tale.

OK, his hand didn’t actually hit her face. But many believe it’s a stretch to say that Fan’s kung fu chop was all in good fun.

Chuang Jui-hsiung
DPP Legislative Caucus
Yesterday’s incident looked like a slap that failed to connect. It doesn’t matter how you spin it, for Cheng Li-wun and Fan Chen-tsung, one left the Democratic Progressive Party after a sexual harassment accusation in 2002 and the other, back in 2007, attended the KMT–CCP Forum, which led to him leaving the DPP.

The ruling party is watching a potential disaster unfold, as Fan’s problematic behavior at the KMT rally is likely connected to the KMT and TPP running separate mayoral candidates in Zhubei City. Anger amongst TPP supporters might even end up spreading to other cities and counties.

Huang Kuo-chang
TPP Chair
Sometimes, when it comes to the emotions of our supporters, it’s not something where our supporters will necessarily take what we say at face value. Right now the TPP’s young support base is, indeed, coming together, it’s uniting, because honesty is the most important thing for a political party.

So, who’s responsible for the KMT-TPP relationship breaking down? And will the KMT succeed at convincing the public that an open-palmed hand sweep towards the party’s chair was simply a friendly interaction?

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

#gettingphysical #slap #KMT #TPP #ZhubeiCity #in-fighting

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Kindhearted teens rush into heavy downpour to help recycling collector

Sometimes, kindness means getting your own clothes a little wet. A group of students from Wanhua Junior High School saw an elderly recycling collector struggling in the pouring rain. They could have just watched on as the man struggled, but instead, they didn’t hesitate to help. They headed out into the downpour and pushed his heavy cart alongside him. It may seem like a small gesture, but it made a big difference for the man.

An elderly man struggles as he pushes a cart down the middle of the road in the pouring rain. Every step is a huge effort as the cardboard boxes get heavier and heavier from soaking up the water. Seeing the sad scene, a group of kindhearted teens from Wanhua Junior High School stepped in to lend a helping hand, melting the hearts of onlookers.

Kind student
Wanhua Junior High School
He was pushing all the cardboard boxes by himself. There were so many that some were slipping off. It was really pouring down, so we thought he might like some help. Like, if we help him finish early, he could go home and rest. He said yes, so we helped him push the cart all the way to Wanda Elementary School.

Kind student
Wanhua Junior High School
It seemed like he was pushing the cart further and further into the road. So we wanted to help him more.

Umbrellas would only get in the way, so two of the students simply accepted the fact that they would get soaking wet. It wasn’t a long stretch, but it made a world of difference to the elderly man.

Kind student
Wanhua Junior High School
My classmate had to go after a bit, so it ended up just being me pushing the cart. The other two accompanied us the whole way. But they were holding umbrellas, so they couldn’t really push that hard. I didn’t mind, because I live nearby anyway. Like, I could just go home and take a shower after.

Hsieh Cheng-wei
Wanhua Junior High School Principal
Helping someone in need fills their heart with joy. In turn, the person they helped might pass on the love, creating a circle of kindness.

The students’ kind actions have earned them praise from their school, which rewarded them with merit points and awards for their good deed.

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

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In Southern Taiwan, demand for dryers and dehumidifiers is up

In Southern Taiwan, the never-ending rain has been causing the locals a lot of headaches, even car owners who have found shoots growing on their vehicle’s exterior and moldy seats on the interior. Yet all this wet weather has been a big business opportunity for laundromats and shops that sell dehumidifiers. Let’s take a look at the rainy situation.

With all this rain in Southern Taiwan in the last two weeks, the process for a scooter rider is getting repetitive: put on a raincoat and proceed slowly on these wet roads.

- The amount of rain that’s fallen is ridiculous. The ground’s covered in moss.

- When it’s super, super humid like this, things get moldy.

That’s not hyperbole: it’s rained so much that now mold is forming on everything, even the inside of this vehicle that was parked at an open-air parking lot for 5 days. When this lady opened her car’s door, she discovered that the seats, armrests, and the steering wheel had mold growing on them. The trunk of a different car was even the giver of life for these tiny shoots, which the owner described as ridiculously cute.

Chu Jui-ting
Southern Region Weather Center
In August of this year, the weather monitoring station in Tainan’s West Central District had 1,372.5mm of accumulated rain. In the 130 years this station has been in existence, for the month of August, this year has had the second highest amount of rainfall.

Unrelenting rain has driven demand for dehumidifiers. At this home appliance store, box after box of them are waiting to be delivered to customers.

Lin Tang-yu
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There’s really been a lot of people asking about them. Sales have basically doubled. The stock at our warehouse has essentially all been sold out.

It’s not just dehumidifiers that are in demand, as business is booming for launderettes with dryers that can help people who are seeking a remedy for wet clothes.

- These clean clothes are still damp, so I bring them here to dry them.

The non-stop rain is setting records and even helping laundromats and shops selling dehumidifiers, which have suddenly become one of the hottest electronics on the market.

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OAC, Penghu release fry to restore fish, conch populations

Subsidized by the Ocean Affairs Council, the Penghu Fisher Association recently organized a fish fry release in Magong’s Jingan Village. Families were invited to release a total of 35,000 fish fry and shellfish seeds to restore populations of yellow spotted grunt and dog conch. Besides helping restore marine life, the hands-on activity also helped kids learn about sustainability from a young age.

On the shores of Jingan Village in Magong, adults and children carefully dump buckets teeming with fish fry into the ocean.

- Do you know why you’re releasing fry?
- To sustain ocean life. It’s amazing!

Supporting by funding from the Ocean Conservation Administration, the Penghu Fisher Association released 20,000 yellow spotted grunt fry and 15,000 dog conch seeds. They also invited families to join in, hoping to instill conservation ideals from a young age.

Lu Hsiao-yun
Ocean Conservation Administration director-general
Last year we started a wonderful partnership with the Penghu Fisher Association on restoration of fishery resources. So that includes today’s fry release, as well as marine education, and also net removal. Through the abilities of the association, we aim to restore marine resources across Penghu.

As part of the initiative, participants also went out into the bay on fishing boats to release dog conch seeds, which have high economic value. This allows the shellfish to develop in sustainable waters, simultaneously enriching the ecosystem while also benefiting the local fishing industry.

Parent
Joined project
We’ve released shrimp and crab larvae in the past and even planted seagrass, but we’ve never released conch before. It’s meaningful, because it helps the marine environment keep thriving.

The fisher association said it would continue to restock marine populations to foster a positive cycle of conservation, restoration, and sustainable use, ensuring that Penghu’s oceans can endure for generations to come.

#Penghu #conservation #marinelife #fishfry #fryrelease #conch #sustainability #OAC #oceans #familyactivity

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

2026-09-04