Line Bank crash draws commission’s ireOVERLOAD? The virtual bank launched its banking service, integrated into the messaging app Line offered by its affiliate Line Taiwan Ltd (台灣連線), at about 5pm on Thursday, but users said they could not access the service. A screen shot taken on Thursday shows that services were temporarily unavailable due to a system crash after Line Bank started operation on that day. Calling the bank’s debit card “the best debit card in Taiwan,” Huang said it would reward cardholders with Line points immediately after they make payments using the card. The card could be used as a iPass card and be linked to Line Pay Money, an electronic payment service offered by the virtual bank’s affiliate LINE Biz+.

One area of particular concern is the almost daily incursions by Chinese warplanes into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ). The unprecedented size and volume of Beijing’s incursions have raised concern in Washington over a pending invasion of Taiwan. Even with a fully modernized and capable army, the topography of Taiwan makes it extremely challenging for the amphibious invasion necessary to succeed, especially when Taiwan has had decades to prepare its defensive posture. Starting a potentially protracted war over Taiwan ahead of the Winter Olympics would be ill-considered. No, the invasion of Taiwan is not imminent.

Five-year plan a challenge for TibetBy Dolma TseringFrom March 4 to 11, China held its annual “two sessions”: the National People’s Congress and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. On March 24, the Tibet Autonomous Region presented a work report containing comprehensive details about the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), and the government agenda under the 14th Five-Year Plan and goal for 2035. The government set four key agenda under the new five-year plan: ensure national security and regional stability; boost national income; ecological protection; and consolidation of border security and defense. Under the 14th Five-Year Plan, the government said that income in the tourism and construction sectors would boom — industries in which Chinese migrants dominate. Second, the five-year plan would continue to expand the construction of a border defense village, which started in 2015, including increasing subsidies to expand the population.

KMT urges recall of envoy to JapanBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday urged President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to remove Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) from office over comments on the Japanese government’s plan to release processed wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant into the ocean. “From my personal standpoint, protesting Japan’s release of wastewater from the nuclear power plant is a very simple and natural thing,” Hsieh wrote on Facebook on the day after theannouncement. Wang also cited Taiwan Power Co as saying on Tuesday that the radioactive contamination of the water from the Fukushima plant was much higher. In Taiwan, the release of water is part of normal operations, while in Japan, it is in reaction to an incident, she said. The KMT on Wednesday filed a complaint over the envoy’s statement with the NPA, committee deputy director-general Huang Tzu-che (黃子哲) said.

“This setup lets viewers experience first-hand the challenges that traditional crafts face in the real world,” the placard reads. But there’s still some intriguing takeaways, especially the emphasis on preserving traditional crafts and promoting sustainability. A guanjiangshou temple troupe performer paints his face in the main exhibition of the Taiwan Creative Expo’s culture section. Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei TimesThere’s also a special zone for sustainable, recycled products, where I briefly chat with a vendor who has been making seed paper for about a decade. That also rings true for the traditional crafts.

Cabinet bill seeks stiffer negligent homicide penaltiesBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Executive Yuan yesterday approved a draft amendment that would stiffen penalties for offenders convicted of negligent homicide, amid controversy that Lee Yi-hsiang (李義祥), who was indicted after the Taroko Express derailment killed 49, might only face a five-year term. The punishments laid out in the law must be proportionate to the crimes committed, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told a Cabinet meeting yesterday. The entrance to the Cingshuei Tunnel, the site of the Taroko Express derailment, is pictured in Hualien County on Sunday. The Cabinet’s draft amendment would change the sentence for a serious offense of negligent homicide to one to seven years in prison, while it would impose a prison sentence of 10 years to life for intentional homicide and a sentence of seven years to life for intentional injury. However, legal experts say that amendments cannot be applied retroactively, so Lee, if convicted of negligent homicide, would only receive a sentence of up to five years in prison.

Highways & Byways: Taiwan’s boozy past and presentThough Taiwanese aren’t great boozehounds like their neighbors Japan and South Korea, a drinking culture has existed since the Japanese colonial eraBy Steven Crook / Contributing reporterBy global standards, the Taiwanese aren’t great boozehounds. Yet, as a result of Japanese rule, former alcohol-production sites occupy prominent locations in some of Taiwan’s cities. Photo: Steven CrookThe best known of these places is Huashan 1914 Creative Park (華山1914文創產業園區), a repurposed winery in central Taipei where production was halted in 1987. Chiayi Cultural and Creative Industries Park (嘉義文創園區), also known as G9 Creative Park, occupies a complex that was founded in 1916 by Taisho Brewing Co, Ltd.Once a water tank, now an artist’s canvas, at G9 Creative Park. Photo: Steven CrookThe distillery was transferred from the private sector to the public sector in 1922, when Taiwan’s alcohol industry became a state-run monopoly.

AIT inaugurates new residence for employeesBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterAmerican Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen on Wednesday cut the ribbon for a new residential building for the institute’s employees, saying that the new facility is an important symbol of Taiwan-US friendship. The Tianmei building in Taipei’s Tianmu (天母) area is the “first purpose-built facility in Taiwan to house employees of a foreign office,” the AIT wrote on Facebook yesterday. American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) Director Brent Christensen, second left, cuts ribbon for a new residential building for the institute’s employees in Taipei’s Tianmu area on Wednesday. Photo: Screen grab from American Institute in Taiwan’s Facebook pageThe building “underscores our message of commitment and purpose, but also of US-Taiwan friendship,” Christensen said. Having been in Taiwan for 42 years, the US representative office has over the past few years moved from renting to purchasing properties, it reported.

The incident, which was reportedly covered up at first, was said to begin as a street quarrel between the young men and Yang Chung-li (楊忠蒞), 49, the physical training instructor at the precinct. Media reports said that on Thursday last week, an off-duty Yang was having dinner and drinks with friends until 2am, when he took a taxi back to his precinct office. The entrance to the Taipei Police Department’s Songshan Precinct is pictured yesterday. Video footage shows the young men running after Yang and chasing him right into the precinct. There were allegations that Precinct Chief Lin Chih-cheng (林志誠) at first tried to cover up the incident by not reporting the intrusion or the damage.

Tsai Ing-wen sets carbon neutrality goal for 2050LEGAL REQUIREMENT: The act on greenhouse gas reduction should be amended with the goal to keep pace with the global consensus on climate change, Premier Su saidBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan should follow the global trend and strive for net-zero carbon emission by 2050, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday. Photo: Peter Lo, Taipei TimesAchieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a big challenge, Tsai said, adding that many domestic firms see opportunities in the nation’s energy transformation. “We must own our responsibility and make more efforts to [combat] climate change,” she said. The government should consider amending the act to stay abreast of global efforts to fight climate change, he said. The Environmental Protection Administration is planning to amend the act, including changing its name to “Climate Change Response Act, and add the net-zero emissions goal, Su said.

Many aim to form travel bubbles with Taiwan: bureauBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterMore countries and territories are interested in forming “travel bubbles” with Taiwan, the Tourism Bureau said yesterday. Yesterday, bureau Director-General Chang Hsi-chung (張錫聰) told reporters on the sidelines of a committee meeting that more nations are seeking to ink “travel bubble” agreements with Taiwan. Guam, Hawaii, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam have been enthusiastic about establishing a travel corridor with Taiwan, Chang said. Foreigners with Alien Resident Certificates or Alien Permanent Resident Certificates can also book the Palau tours, the bureau said. Regarding a “travel bubble” agreement with Singapore, Singapore Airlines general manager in Taiwan Chua Kian-hwa (蔡建華) told reporters that the airline is waiting for further instructions from the Singaporean and Taiwanese governments.

Man develops facial palsy after vaccinationBy Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNAThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported the nation’s first case of a person developing facial palsy after receiving an AstraZeneca jab against COVID-19 on Wednesday. Citing insurance data, Chuang said that the rate of facial palsy occurring in individuals aged 18 to 49 was 55.31 per 100,000 per year. Academia Sinica President James Liao speaks at a meeting of the Legislative Yuan’s Education and Culture Committee yesterday. Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei TimesPeople might experience facial palsy for reasons other than vaccinations, Chuang said. Later yesterday, Academia Sinica issued a notice saying that Liao would receive his vaccine shot at the Taipei City Hospital’s branch in Nangang District (南港) today.

The statement came after Japan on Tuesday last week announced that it plans to release processed wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant into the ocean in several years. However, the council said that it had made preparations for such a move ahead of Tokyo’s announcement. Atomic Energy Council Minister Hsieh Shou-shing speaks in Taipei about the council’s plans to monitor Japan’s release of treated wastewater from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant. Photo: Yang Mian-chieh, Taipei TimesFour years ago, its Radiation Monitoring Center was tasked with monitoring the waters, while a three-pronged strategy would be adopted in the future, the council said. In case the IAEA rejects Taiwan’s bid, he hopes that the agency would share data from its monitoring operations with the nation, Hsieh said.

Ko Wen-je says Taipei’s street names need changeBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterTaipei’s street names should reflect a “Taiwanese spirit,” Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said in an online video released yesterday, in which he asked why many of them are named after locations in China. Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday. “For Taiwanese who grew up on this piece of land, it is really confusing that the street names refer to Chinese cities,” he said. Changing street names is important, so perhaps a “street name rectification” platform would allow people from across political lines to discuss the issue and propose names that represent the “Taiwanese spirit,” he said. Then Taipei residents would have street names that represent them better, Ko said.

Vaccination of all cattle to be finished next week: COAStaff writer, with CNAAll cattle in the nation are to be vaccinated against lumpy skin disease by next week, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said on Monday. Eight beef cattle infected with the disease were discovered on a farm in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口) on Thursday — a first for Taiwan proper. The annual output value of the nation’s beef and dairy cattle industry is about NT$14 billion (US$497.5 million), the council said. Lumpy skin disease is a viral disease that affects cattle and buffalo. It was detected for the first time in Taiwan in the island county of Kinmen in July last year, which led to the vaccination of all of the roughly 6,200 cattle there.