The tall, dark-skinned Wang had portrayed Taiwanese Aborigines, Mongolians, Japanese and Koreans, but this would be his first non-Asian role. Wang recalls spending the afternoon watching two Mexican films to prepare, and then winging it. Wang says that he made history as the first Asian actor to play a non-Asian role in a non-Asian country. WARTIME THESPIANGeorge Wang plays a Mexican outlaw in the 1967 spaghetti Western, Colt in the Hand of the Devil. Photo courtesy of Taiwan Film InstituteWang seems to have spoken to locals at length about the 228 Incident while in Taiwan and understood the causes.

Philippines begins trial Taiwan pork importsBy Yang Yuan-ting / Staff reporterThe Philippines last month imported a small amount of Taiwanese pork on a trial basis, and plans to import breeding swine from Taiwan to rebuild its hog industry, the Council of Agriculture said on Friday. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) in June last year declared Taiwan proper, Penghu and Matsu a foot-and-mouth disease-free zone, meaning the nation could finally export its pork products after a 23-year hiatus. Last year, Taiwan exported 4,500 tonnes of pork products, including canned pork, generating revenue totaling NT$680 million, (US$23.89 million) council data showed. Photo: Chen Wen-chan, Taipei TimesMacau was the first to accept imports, and in the second half of last year imported 1,628 tonnes of Taiwanese pork products worth NT$140 million, the data showed. Nonetheless, the Philippines last month began importing Taiwanese pork products, with quarantine and related administrative procedures going smoothly, the council said.

KMT to hold nationwide forums on referendumsKEEPING FOCUS: The party would not take a definitive position on the nuclear power plant issue, as it would detract from its two referendums, a KMT source saidBy Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday began preparations for nationwide forums to explain the party’s stance on referendums that are to be voted on in August. The KMT has already held 169 forums for its chapter workers and members across Taiwan, a party source said. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Johnny Chiang talks to reporters while attending a youth activity in Taipei yesterday. The KMT said that it was glad to see two other referendums proposed by members of the public, adding that it would respect the public’s decision. The other, headed by nuclear power advocate Huang Shih-hsiu (黃士修), hopes to activate the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant in New Taipei City’s Gongliao District (貢寮).

Travelers pose with a China Airlines flight attendant in front of a Boeing 747-400 jumbo jet at a farewell party for the airline’s “Queen of the Skies” fleet at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Mt Fuji in Japan is seen surrounded by clouds during a Boeing 747-400 round-trip flight from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. “The airline launched Taipei-Shizuoka express flight service on March 15, 2012, bringing many Taiwanese tourists to the prefecture. Kuan Hui-wen (管慧雯), who had worked as a flight attendant before becoming a section chief in the airline’s flight service division, said it was difficult to part with the plane. The airline’s flight service from Taoyuan airport to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport was started in 1993 using a Boeing 747-400 jet.

Nutritionists weigh in on eating salmonBy Chen Chien-chih and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerNutritionists and doctors weighed in on the merits of eating fish following a salmon sushi craze triggered by a restaurant chain’s publicity stunt. Salmon is a healthy fish to eat with a wide variety of health benefits, Tainan Municipal Hospital said in a statement. Iced roe, shrimp and slices of raw fish are displayed in Taichung in an undated photograph. Asia University Hospital hepatobiliary and gastroenterology doctor Tseng Sheng-en (曾晟恩) said that people with cirrhosis, diabetes or compromised immune systems should not eat raw fish. “Food poisoning from raw fish is often seen at gastroenterology clinics and emergency rooms,” he said.

Retro shop touted as salve for dementiaBy Chiu Chih-jou and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerWhile retro shops selling nostalgic trinkets and snacks are a familiar sight in historic districts, the owner of one such store in Pingtung County has discovered an unexpected use for his collection — as a salve for dementia. As a child, Liu lived with his family in a Japanese-style house, where his father renovated old furniture and household items. He even acquired a bicycle ridden by the owner of a popular ice dessert shop in Chaojhou, a piece of local history. His mother used to sell furniture at a shop on the central traffic circle in Chaojhou, but after she developed mild dementia, Liu returned to look after her. In his retirement, Liu is operating the antiques store from his mother’s old furniture shop and drawing upon his experience working abroad to help exchange students.

Government must crack down on CUPP, Lim saysBy Chien Hui-ju / Staff reporterIndependent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) yesterday urged the government to crack down on the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP), citing possible serious breaches of the law, including colluding with an enemy state. Lim told Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) at the legislature that CUPP founder Chang An-le (張安樂) had stated publicly that the party would form a “red” propaganda team to promote unification with China, including the possibility of “armed insurrection.”“Our government must prohibit such brazen flouting of the law by those acting as collaborators with China,” Lim said. Photo: George Tsorng, Taipei TimesChang said in a Chinese radio interview that the CUPP had recruited young Taiwanese, turning them from “green” to “red,” and that it was planning an armed insurrection within Taiwan when China launches an invasion of Taiwan, Lim said. China’s propaganda warfare comes in many forms and in Taiwan it has the CUPP networking with criminal gangs, recruiting Taiwanese and creating havoc in society, he said. Chang can speak freely, because he has the right to freedom of expression, “but he is promoting Chinese propaganda and calling for an armed insurrection, which is breaking the law,” Lim said.

Supporters rally for Lee Ming-cheBy Chung Li-hua and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerChina has denied imprisoned Lee Ming-che (李明哲) contact with the outside world since the COVID-19 pandemic began, human rights groups said yesterday, urging the government to do more to assist the Taiwanese human rights advocate. Supporters of imprisoned Taiwanese human rights advocate Lee Ming-che hold a news conference outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. National Human Rights Committee chairwoman Chen Chu (陳菊) should represent Taiwan at the summit and demand that APEC establish a mechanism for human rights dialogue that could address China’s human rights violations, Shih said. New School for Democracy director of advocacy Kuo Li-hsuan (郭歷軒) said that Beijing jailed Lee to intimidate Taiwanese so that they would not advocate democracy and human rights in China. “We have a collective responsibility to care about human rights in China.”

Jewelry is displayed by the New Taipei City police yesterday after a store was robbed in Sanchong District on Thursday. The video footage, witness accounts and other evidence enabled preliminary identification of the suspects, police said. Two accomplices were detained in that case, but not Chen, they said. Hsia allegedly drove the car with Chen Ching-ke and portions of the loot to her residence in Kaohsiung, investigators said. In a bid to evade police, Chen Ching-ke allegedly took a train from Kaohsiung to Hualien, they said.

HSBC to hire 300 to grow wealth management unitBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterHSBC Bank Taiwan Ltd (匯豐台灣商銀) is to invest hundreds of millions of dollars per year over the next five years to boost its wealth management business in Taiwan, with plans to hire at least 300 financial planners, the bank said on Thursday. The expansion is part of a plan announced last month by London-headquartered parent company, HSBC Holdings PLC, to invest US$3.5 billion in its wealth management services in Asia, with an aim to become a leading wealth bank. “The local market presents ample opportunity for the wealth management business,” HSBC Taiwan retail banking and wealth management head Linda Yip (葉清玉) told the Taipei Times at a media briefing in Taipei. We encourage financial planners to provide the products that meet customers’ demands and risk appetite, not those with higher commissions. The bank aims to grow its assets under management faster than the market, which would require customers’ trust and the bank offering good financial planning, Yip said.

Developers chill on property marketSADDLED DOWN: Developers and builders have become the nation’s largest debtors, accounting for 25 percent of bank loans, up from 20 percent in 2017, an analyst saidBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterDevelopers and analysts yesterday turned conservative about the local property market’s outlook after the central bank further tightened credit controls and the Ministry of Finance announced plans to stiffen property tax terms. Developers and builders became the nation’s largest debtors in January, accounting for 25 percent of overall bank loans, Sinyi research manager Tseng Ching-der (增進德) said, citing government statistics. The figures show that developers and builders acquired land and launched new projects during the soft period from 2015 to 2017, when they made up 20 percent of the nation’s outstanding loans, Tseng said. The rapid loan growth reflected an upturn in the property market, and alerted regulators about the need to step in to prevent a bubble, Tseng said. Legislators are reviewing property tax bills that might impose property levies of 45 percent on houses resold within five years of their purchase from two years to curb short-term speculation.

Mainland Affairs Council Minister Chiu Tai-san speaks at a news conference at the council in Taipei yesterday. Underlining his intent, Chiu announced an end to a ban on Chinese business travelers after more than a year of COVID-19 travel restrictions. Discussions are continuing on whether to resume travel for Chinese with family in Taiwan, as well as on border control adjustments, he said. However, as the center does not yet list China as a medium-low or low-risk region, Chinese business travelers are not eligible for shortened quarantines, CECC spokesman Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. Aside from business travelers, Chinese nationals with Taiwanese residency, as well as their spouses and children, can enter Taiwan, in addition to students, and those with imperative family or health reasons.

‘Travel bubble’ with Singapore might be next: ministerBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterTaiwan might form a “travel bubble” with Singapore after reaching a similar deal with Palau, although the government has not seen a proposal from the Singaporean government, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. On Wednesday, the center announced that group tours would begin on April 1 as part of a “travel bubble” arrangement with Palau. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung speaks at a meeting of the Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. However, Singapore on Dec. 18 last year eased travel restrictions on Taiwanese, allowing them to enter the country without being vaccinated if they provide an air travel pass, Chen said. “We are still studying relevant issues, but we have not received any proposal from them yet.”The CECC approved the Palau “travel bubble” swiftly, because the Micronesian nation has no confirmed COVID-19 cases, he said.

Prosecutors search Kaohsiung council speaker’s officeBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterInvestigators yesterday searched the home and office of Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Zeng Li-yan (曾麗燕) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT). Investigators seized Zeng’s office registry and accounting documents from the past 10 years to examine payments to office assistants. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Kaohsiung City Council Speaker Zeng Li-yan is pictured in an undated photograph in Kaohsiung. Photo: Ko You-hao, Taipei TimesZeng, 68, and her assistants were summoned for questioning at the the Kaohsiung District Prosecutors’ Office. In 2009, 20 Kaohsiung councilors were indicted on charges of corruption and forgery for similar offenses.

Fourth Nuclear Plant activation ‘no option’: TsaiBy Yang Chun-hui and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, staff writer, with CNAPresident Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday slammed a referendum to activate the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant, citing the lack of a long-term storage facility for spent fuel rods. Concerns over safety and cost of nuclear energy make operating the plant not viable, Tsai said. Taiwan has four nuclear power plants. The Jinshan Nuclear Power Plant, the Guosheng Nuclear Power Plant and the mothballed Fourth Nuclear Power Plant are in New Taipei City, while the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant is in Pingtung County. We cannot make use of nuclear power if we do not have facilities for radioactive waste,” Hou said.