Trans-border swim bladder smugglers bustedBy Jason Pan / Staff reporter, with CNAA New Taipei City resident in his 30s was arrested earlier this month for allegedly smuggling totoaba swim bladders from Mexico to sell in China, as part of a months-long probe into an international smuggling ring that began with a tip-off from the FBI, the Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said yesterday. Local police and customs authorities seized 19kg of totoaba swim bladders between July 28 and Aug. 12 that had a black market price of about US$900,000, the CIB told a news conference at its office in Taipei. CIB Deputy Commissioner Liao Hsun-cheng (廖訓誠) inspected the confiscated haul, while FBI Legal Attache Office representative in Taiwan Nicolas Garcia made a rare public appearance. The trade in totoaba swim bladders has been illegal since 1976, when the giant fish, endemic to the Gulf of California in Mexico, was added to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Garcia thanked the CIB and Customs Administration on behalf of the FBI and the US Fish and Wildlife Service for their efforts.

The poll showed that 33.9 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, 58.3 percent disagreed and 3.7 percent had no opinion. Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation chairman Michael You, second right, speaks during a news conference in Taipei yesterday. In related news, former minister of national defense Michael Tsai (蔡明憲) accused Ma of publicly belittling the Taiwanese military and trying to force Taiwanese to accept Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula. Ma’s remarks bostering China’s image verges on “treason,” said Michael Tsai, now president of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance. Ma’s pro-China policy also led the US Department of Defense to cast doubt on the loyalty of the Taiwanese military at the time, he said.

Two political persecution victims exoneratedBy Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe Transitional Justice Commission yesterday exonerated Voyue Tosku (杜孝生) and Liao Li-chuan (廖麗川) — two victims of political persecution during the White Terror era — at a ceremony at the Executive Yuan. Voyue — a Tsou man who received a 17-year prison sentence in 1954 for corruption — was accused of involvement with Aboriginal leaders who were fighting for self-rule for Aborigines. Vice President William Lai, right, presents certificates of exoneration to family members of Liao Li-chuan and Voyue Tosku second — two victims of political persecution during the White Terror era — at a news in Taipei yesterday. Today’s democracy is the result of the shared experience of Taiwanese who lived through the White Terror era, he said. The men’s trials were part of the authorities’ efforts during the White Terror era to exercise control over Alishan Township and its residents, and were a violation of their constitutional rights and freedoms, it said.

Registration to be required for green iguanas: bureauStaff writer, with CNAGreen iguanas, along with 13 native species and other non-native species, have been added to the Forestry Bureau’s list of animals that must be officially registered if they are to be kept and bred. The iguanas are “exotic wildlife dangerous to the environment, people or animals,” the bureau said on Thursday amid growing concerns over the damage the lizards are doing to the environment when released into the wild. Green iguanas, which are indigenous to South and Central America, have become popular pets in Taiwan and other nations, but the bureau said that many people in Taiwan who find themselves unable or unwilling to care for them have abandoned them in the wild. According to the Wildlife Conservation Act (野生動物保育法) an official permit is required before any of the animals on the list can be imported, sold or displayed. However, 19 species were removed from the list, as their wild populations in Taiwan have shown stable growth, including Latham’s snipe, it said.

In the face of China’s military buildup, cooperating with Taiwan on fighter-jet maintenance and repair would be ideal for other countries that are also friendly to the US, he said. Lockheed Martin — the US manufacturer of the aircraft — in December last year signed a strategic agreement with AIDC to promote its role as a regional repair center for the model, it said. One of the center’s advantages over those in the US would be its lower maintenance and repair rates, which could be appealing to neighboring countries, he said. KMT Legislator Charles Chen (陳以信) said the center should focus on maintaining the nation’s own aircraft, adding that plans on regional cooperation were too lofty. Singapore and South Korea were capable of repairing their own aircraft and would not risk conflict with China by cooperating with Taiwan, Chen said, adding that India would likely establish its own repair center.

Memorial service marks former premier’s deathBy Lin Liang-sheng / Staff reporterSeveral senior members of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) yesterday attended a memorial service in Taipei for late former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村), who died on March 30 at the age of 100. Former president Ma Ying-jeou yesterday bows during a memorial service in Taipei to pay tribute to former premier Hau Pei-tsun, who passed away on March 30, aged 100. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesMa took the opportunity to respond to comments by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文). Meanwhile, former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌), one of Hau Pei-tsun’s two sons, said his father had hoped not to disturb his colleagues and friends, and to allow everyone to remember him in their own way. Many elders wanted to pay their respects to Hau Pei-tsun, hence the memorial yesterday, he added.

Cathay United signs on to China dealBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay United Bank (China) Co Ltd (國泰世華銀行中國) on Friday signed an investment agreement to acquire a 10 percent stake in a new consumer finance company in China, parent company Cathay Financial Holding Co (國泰金控) said in a Taiwan Stock Exchange filing. The agreement with Ant Technology Group Co Ltd (螞蟻科技集團) to invest 800 million yuan (US$115.62 million) in the company, tentatively named Chongqing Ant Consumer Finance Ltd (重慶螞蟻消費金融), would help Cathay United Bank China deepen its operations and capture new business in consumer financing, Cathay Financial spokesman Daniel Teng (鄧崇儀) told the Taipei Times by telephone. Cathay United Bank China, Cathay Financial’s Chinese subsidiary, focuses on corporate financing, investment banking and financial transactions. Ant Technology Group would hold a 50 percent stake in the new company, with other investors to include Chinese financial, technology and medical equipment companies, according to Chinese media reports. Companies in Taiwan’s financial sector plan to invest NT$18.88 billion (US$639.74 million) in financial technology (fintech) this year to improve their online services and competitiveness, the Financial Supervisory Commission said on Thursday.

Annual oil painting show opens in Sun Yat-sen hallBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterThe 44th Oil Painting Exhibition in Taiwan (全國油畫展) opened on Saturday at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei, featuring 122 works, with Deputy Minister of Culture Hsiao Tsung-huang (蕭宗煌) saying the exhibition expresses a “vigorous vitality.”Established in 1974 by several Taiwanese artists, the Oil Art Society of the Republic of China holds an annual competition and exhibition to highlight the works of its members and others. The annual exhibition is an important booster of oil painting in the nation, and has helped elevate the standard of art education and oil painting, the hall said. Visitors on Saturday look at works on display in the 44th Oil Painting Exhibition in Taiwan at the Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall in Taipei. The presidents of the art society have, over the years, dedicated their lives to passing down the profession of painting, memorial hall director-general Liang Yung-fei (梁永斐) said. By hosting the competitions and exhibitions, society members have built a “priceless” Taiwanese art history, and supported numerous students and young artists passionate about oil painting, he said.

Budget talks likely central to next legislative sessionSEEKING APPROVAL: Budget packages and draft Constitutional amendments for the abolishment of the control and examination branches are with legislatorsBy Lee Hsin-fang and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerExecutive Yuan officials on Saturday urged the Legislative Yuan to prioritize the government’s budget proposals for a special relief package, the third-phase of the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program and the 2021 fiscal year in its upcoming session. The Legislative Yuan holds two regular sessions per year — the first from February to May and the second from September to December. Executive Yuan officials this month met with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus, government sources said, citing legislators as saying that the special relief package funding would probably pass a third reading in October. Police officers guard an entrance to the Legislative Yuan building in Taipei in an undated photograph. While the DPP holds 69 legislative seats, the KMT holds 35 — more than a quarter of all seats — and is capable of blocking a constitutional amendment proposal.

High Court confirms CHB agreementNOT OVER YET: The Ministry of Finance said it would again appeal the High Court’s ruling, drawing out a rights dispute that has gone through three courts since 2014By Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterTaishin Financial Holding Co (台新金控) on Friday said it welcomed a Taiwan High Court ruling confirming that the company and the Ministry of Finance have a contractual relationship regarding management rights of state-run Chang Hwa Commercial Bank (CHB, 彰化銀行). The entrance of Taishin Financial Holding Co’s headquarters in Taipei is shown in an undated photograph. It has been tried by different courts [the Taipei District Court, High Court and Supreme Court], and they have unanimously agreed that there is a continuing contractual relationship between Taishin Financial and the Ministry of Finance,” the company said. The ministry appealed to the High Court. The High Court in May 2017 ruled in favor of Taishin Financial, saying the ministry should support the company in its bid to win major control of CHB board seats and subsequent management rights.

The protesters called themselves “snails without shells” (無殼蝸牛), which became a symbol for the battle against housing prices that is still used to this day. But in six months, Taipei’s housing prices surged so much that he couldn’t even buy back his original home, which had nearly doubled in price. Snails Without Shells movement leader Lee Hsing-chang carries a large snail on his back during a 2010 protest against housing prices. “Owning a home should be a human right, housing prices are not stakes for corporations to play the money game,” they declared. “But I won’t give up until housing prices go down,” he declared.

Presidential Office rebuts Ma’s ‘1992 consensus’ claimsBy Sean Lin and Chung Li-hua / Staff reportersThe Presidential Office yesterday said it was regrettable that former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) had attributed China’s recent military activities near Taiwan to President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) refusal to acknowledge the so-called “1992 consensus,” saying that narrative ignored the real situation in the Taiwan Strait. China’s military activities extend beyond the Taiwan Strait to the Pacific, and anyone with a grasp of the international situation understands that China’s disturbance of regional peace is unprovoked, Presidential Office spokesman Alex Huang (黃重諺) said. The shift in China’s attitude toward his and Tsai’s administrations was prompted by Tsai’s refusal to acknowledge the “1992 consensus,” which eliminated the basis of mutual trust between Taipei and Beijing, he said. It said that Chinese expansionism has caused escalating tensions in the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the South China Sea and on the China-India border, and threatens democratic countries. Rather, it should address the views of international observers on the situation in the Taiwan Strait, he said.

Plan aims for bilingual daily livingNEW TAIPEI CITY: Each school should attempt to have at least one bilingual class, but a specific number would not be mandated, the Primary Education Division head saidBy Chou Hsiang-yun and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerThe New Taipei City Government is launching a program aimed at making the English language a part of everyday life by 2030. New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi on Friday holds a sign with the text “New Taipei bilingual NTPC Give me five” while attending the school year’s first meeting of New Taipei City school deans. The project hopes to fine-tune all aspects of the curriculum, the teachers and the integration of English into everyday life, Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen (張明文) said. Every school should endeavor to have at least one bilingual class, but schools would not be mandated to have a certain number per week, Primary Education Division head Lin Yi-cheng (林奕成) said. A lack of bilingual materials hampers teachers’ efforts to plan their courses, Guangfu Elementary School administrator Chang Kuei-chen (張桂珍) said, adding that the varying vocabulary levels of students could affect their learning.

New 5G phones approved to hit the market next monthStaff writer, with CNAThe National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said it has approved the sale of 20 5G-compatible phone models in Taiwan, including nine models that have not yet been released. Since 5G services were launched in Taiwan on July 1, demand for monthly plans has remained low, with consumers deterred by high prices, limited network coverage and a narrow choice of available phones. Eleven 5G-compatible phone models are currently available in Taiwan — seven made by Samsung, two by Oppo, and one phone each by Sony and LG. Several industry insiders have also expressed confidence that 5G phone sales would increase when new and more affordable phones are brought to market in the second half of the year. However, the NCC has already approved the sale of 5G phone models made by Chinese companies, NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsong (翁柏宗) said.

Public split over Chinese students: pollA BIG RISK? According to the ministry, Chinese students who are to graduate this semester have been allowed to return since July 22. Asked whether the government’s policy on Chinese students hinges on political considerations, 48 percent agreed, while 38 percent disagreed. “Our democracy can be an inspiration to Chinese students,” he said. Taiwan from Jan. 26 suspended the entry of Chinese students due to the COVID-19 pandemic, while China in April stopped Chinese graduates from pursuing further study or work in Taiwan.