Two pilots killed in helicopter crashHAN KUANG DRILLS: The pilot and copilot of a Kiowa Warrior died while trying to make an emergency landing at a Hsinchu base. The rest of the fleet has been groundedBy Aaron Tu, Tsai Chang-sheng and Jake Chung / Staff reporters, with staff writerThis year’s Han Kuang military exercises were marred yesterday afternoon by the crash of an army helicopter at Hsinchu Air Force Base that killed the pilot and copilot. A Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior crashed at 3:28pm, the third crash of a Bell OH-58D in the past two years, although the first incident, in March 2018, and the second on May 10 did not result in any injuries or deaths. President Tsai Ing-wen, third left, attends the 36th Han Kuang military exercises in Taichung yesterday. Two Bell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters participate in the Han Kuang military exercises yesterday.

Darwin plans to invest NT$1bn in TaiwanBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterTaiwanese backlight module maker Darwin Precisions Corp (達運精密) has pledged to invest NT$1 billion (US$33.79 million) to expand its production capacity in Taiwan as part of the government’s Invest in Taiwan initiative, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. “It is a supplement, but we have a lot of other considerations for expanding our production in Taiwan,” Ching told the Taipei Times. Darwin said that its operations in Taiwan account for less than 20 percent of its total revenue, with the majority coming from China. Aside from seeking to stabilize supply and reduce risks amid China-US trade tensions, Darwin aims to keep “sensitive” production in Taiwan, Ching said, citing the company’s desire to keep proprietary technologies at home. “There are some technologies and resources, such as our fine-metal-mask production, that we will always keep in Taiwan,” he said.

Virus Outbreak: CECC reports new imported COVID-19 caseNEW TESTING FACILITIES: Taoyuan International Airport Corp has constructed two new COVID-19 sample-collection houses outside Taiwan Taoyuan International AirportBy Sherry Hsiao and Shelley Shan / Staff reportersThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported one new imported case of COVID-19, a Taiwanese woman in her 30s who traveled to the Philippines in late January for work. A medical worker in a converted shipping container at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport collects a specimen from a passenger returning from a COVID-19-infected area yesterday. A person in protective clothing waits yesterday outside a newly converted shipping container at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport for inspecting arrivals from COVID-19-infected areas. As of yesterday, Taiwan has recorded 452 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 361 imported cases, 55 local infections and 36 cases from the navy’s “Friendship Flotilla,” as well as seven deaths, CECC data showed. Meanwhile, Taoyuan International Airport Corp yesterday began using new facilities to collect specimens to test for COVID-19 at the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.

Ko dismisses complaints by his ex-photographerBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterTaipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday dismissed complaints by his former photographer about low pay and long working hours, saying that it was volunteer work. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) on Monday filed a report with the Taipei Department of Labor, asking it to investigate the allegations by Pan Jin-lin (潘俊霖). Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je, center, talks to reporters at an event in Taipei yesterday. She asked the department to investigate whether it involved unreasonable working conditions or even labor exploitation, and to report its findings within a week. He said the labor department could investigate the case if it wants to.

When pilgrims rushed into the temple to get closer to Matsu, social distancing was thrown out of the window. The Baishatun pilgrimage, held for more than 200 years, is one of the largest annual religious processions in Taiwan. People on the 2020 Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage participate in a ceremony outside Chaotian Temple in Yunlin County’s Beigang Township on July 8. A man hands out free surgical masks to pilgrims waiting for the official start of the 2020 Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage on July 4 in Miaoli County’s Baishatun. A woman and girl wearing protective eye shields hand out freebies outside the Gongtian Temple in Miaoli County’s Baishatun to pilgrims waiting for the official start of the 2020 Baishatun Matsu pilgrimage on the night of July 4.

Keating’s position is one that more people in Taiwan seem to share, as evidenced from recent polls and election results. Keating calls them “Generation D,” who grew up only knowing a democratic Taiwan and carry less baggage from its convoluted past. Thus, it is a worthy exercise to examine Taiwan’s identity and internal struggles from this framework to provide ideas on how the nation can move forward. The argument that Taiwan should embrace its Austronesian past to further distance itself from China is one that is often heard and sounds great on paper. While they are well-written with clear viewpoints that provide valuable insight, the book can get repetitive because Keating espouses similar ideas in many pieces.

CTBC Brothers clinch half-season title in CPBLBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe CTBC Brothers on Tuesday in a makeup game that had spanned two months limited the Uni-President Lions to one run to clinch the CPBL half-season title in a 6-1 victory. To mark the occasion, team sponsor CTBC Bank yesterday announced limited-time offers, while other sponsors are offering discounts on dining and shopping. The CTBC Brothers celebrate defeating the Uni-President Lions to clinch the CPBL half-season title at the Tainan Municipal Stadium on Tuesday. The Brothers led 4-0 at the end of the third frame, having brought in four runs off of four hits and two walks. Improving his record to 8-5 with a 4.03 ERA, the Dominican lefty registered the title win striking out 14 and scattering five hits.

Court asked to stop work at FPG Louisiana site‘MAJOR FACILITIES’: FPG’s plants would destroy wetlands and increase the risk of flooding in the area, advocacy groups said in a 55-page request to a courtAP, NEW ORLEANS, LouisianaOpponents of Formosa Plastics Group’s (FPG, 台塑集團) plans for a US$9.4 billion plastics complex on Tuesday asked a federal judge to stop work at the site in Louisiana. Company spokeswoman Janile Parks said that the motion was meritless, “full of speculation and short on facts.”Formosa Plastics Group’s naphtha cracker on the coast of Yunlin County’s Mailiao Township is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Chang Hui-wen, Taipei TimesThe “limited and unintrusive” site preparation does not justify shutting down the entire project, she said in a statement e-mailed by a public relations firm. US District Judge Randall Moss is likely to rule on the motion within weeks, Julie Teel Simmonds, an attorney for the center, said in a news release. FG LA LLC, the Louisiana member of FPG, plans 10 chemical plants and four other “major facilities” on 1,000 hectares in St James Parish as what it calls the Sunshine Project after the nearby Sunshine Bridge.

Virus Outbreak: Adimmune to begin vaccine trialsBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterVaccine maker Adimmune Corp (國光生技) plans to conduct phase I clinical trials of its COVID-19 candidate vaccine next month to assess its safety, the firm said yesterday. The vaccine provider would cooperate with National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) for the trials, Pan said. Based on the results of phase I trials, we will select two dose levels that show the most promise to continue with phase II clinical trials,” Pan said. Adimmune, the nation’s largest flu vaccine provider, is a frontrunner in the local race to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, as it was the first to apply to the FDA to conduct human trials. Last week, Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp (高端疫苗) applied to the FDA to run phase I human trials for its spike protein-based vaccine candidate, becoming second in the local race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, company data showed.

Cathay Life needs permission before it can raise stake in Indonesian bankBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterCathay Life Insurance Co (國泰人壽) must apply to the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) before it can raise its stake in Indonesia’s Bank Mayapada Internasional Tbk PT beyond 40 percent, the commission said. The nation’s largest life insurer by market share has reportedly been conducting due diligence on raising its stake in the Indonesian lender from 37.33 percent to 51 percent, Reuters reported on Monday, citing an Indonesian regulatory official. Flags are displayed in front of the Cathay Life Insurance headquarters in Taipei’s Xinyi District in an undated photograph. While the Indonesian regulator has demanded the bank’s major shareholders inject capital to shore up its capital strength, Cathay Life has no such obligation, as the local insurer does not have a controlling stake in the lender, Tsai said. Cathy Life is still mulling raising its stake in Bank Mayapada, executive vice president Lin Chao-ting (林昭廷) said by telephone.

Exhibition shines spotlight on White Terror tortureBy Chen Yu-fu and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerAn exhibition of formerly classified records and artworks depicting the use of torture during the White Terror era has opened at the Tsai Jui-yueh Dance Research Institute/Rose Historic Site (蔡瑞月舞蹈社/玫瑰古蹟) in Taipei. Dialogues With the Past, Present and Future (彼時影‧未來光), organized by the Transitional Justice Commission, opened on Friday last week and runs through July 26. Photo: Chen Yu-fu, Taipei TimesSeveral works by artist Ouyang Chien-hua (歐陽劍華), a White Terror victim, depict torture methods used during that time, Chen said. Chen said another painting depicts a man who bit off his own tongue in a bid to commit suicide. Since her death in 2005, the foundation and the Rose Historic Site have played a prominent role in promoting Taiwan’s human rights movement.

Ministry blames system overload for voucher snagBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterThe Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday blamed technical difficulties for disruptions to the distribution of Triple Stimulus Vouchers on the first day of their release, and denied reports that it was halting distributions at the nation’s major convenience store chains. A surge in demand crashed the computer system, causing significant delays in the vouchers’ distribution, the ministry said. A Hi-Life International Co Ltd clerk, right, hands Triple Stimulus Vouchers to a customer in Taipei yesterday. The government designed the voucher system to maximize the effect of the stimulus, National Central University economics professor Dachrahn Wu (吳大任) told the Taipei Times by the telephone yesterday. The government “could put in NT$50 billion [US$1.7 billion] in stimulus and get NT$150 billion in economic activity,” Wu said.

KMT legislators win tussle for chamberINJURED: Several KMT lawmakers fought their way through DPP members into the legislative chamber, while others lay on a driveway to block Chen ChuBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterScuffles broke out at the Legislative Yuan yesterday as Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers again occupied the legislative chamber, stymieing a report by Control Yuan presidential nominee Chen Chu (陳菊) and a question-and-answer session. Scuffles broke out as the KMT lawmakers tried to force their way through the door, injuring legislators on both sides. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Democratic Progressive Party legislators clash in front of the entrance to the main chamber of the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday. Photo: CNADPP and KMT lawmakers ran for the speaker’s rostrum once the chamber’s doors opened for yesterday’s meeting, but KMT lawmakers were quicker, allowing them to freeze the proceedings for the rest of the day. As of press time last night, the legislative chamber was still controlled by the KMT caucus.

China to sanction Lockheed over Taiwan arms sale‘BARBARIC INTIMIDATION’: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned China’s move, saying that weapons and upgrades are needed to maintain peace in the Taiwan StraitAFP, BEIJINGChina yesterday said that it would impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin Corp, days after the US approved a potential US$620 million refurbishment package for missiles to Taiwan. The possible foreign military sale involves Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles. In Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it “strongly condemns” China’s gesture, describing it as “irrational clamor and barbaric intimidation.”Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou hosts a regular news conference in Taipei on July 7. Zhao said that China’s move to hit Lockheed with sanctions was “to safeguard its national interests.”Last year, China threatened sanctions on US firms linked to a sale of warplanes to Taiwan as well, calling the move a serious interference in its internal affairs. Taiwan is bolstering its defenses for what it sees as increasingly threatening moves by Beijing, such as its regular air force and naval exercises near the country.

Peak electricity usage hits a new record: TaipowerBy Angelica Oung / Staff reporterRecord heat is bringing record electricity use this month, after peak electricity consumption yesterday broke all historical records, Taiwan Power Co (Taipower, 台電) said. The top 10 peak consumption records have all occurred in the past three years, Taipower said. “Our operating reserve margin is still 10.38 percent,” Chang told the Taipei Times by telephone, referring to the company’s “green” indicator. “Yellow” means that the operating reserve margin is 6 to 10 percent, while “orange” signals a reserve margin of below 6 percent, “red” indicates less than 900,000 kilowatts and “black” less than 500,000 kilowatts. Chang credited solar power for generating 2.13GW of electricity during peak usage, when it was needed most, saying that it accounted for 5.5 percent of total peak usage yesterday.