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S-400 threatens Taiwan’s control of its airspace: expert

Want China Times
Date: 2015-04-21
By: Staff Reporter

After an agreement was reached for China to purchase the S-400 air defense system from

An S-400 air defense system of the Russian military. (Internet photo)

An S-400 air defense system of the Russian military. (Internet photo)

Russia, the People’s Liberation Army will be better equipped to defeat the Republic of China Air Force within Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ), American defense expert Wendell Minnick writes in a piece for the Washington-based Defense News on April 18.

With an attacking range of 400 kilometers, the S-400 system would allow China to strike any aerial target over Taiwan and could also reach New Delhi, Calcutta, Hanoi and Seoul as well as enforcing China’s East China Sea ADIZ. Vasily Kashin, a Russian specialist in China’s military development, said the PLA can extend its influence but not dominate the airspace over the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Senkaku to Japan, Diaoyu to China). Targets within North Korea could also be attacked, Minnick noted.     [FULL  STORY]

Ex-Keelung Council speaker remains detained after failing to post bond

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/04/20
By: Huang Chao-yu and Maubo Chang

Taipei, April 20 (CNA) Former Keelung Council speaker Huang Ching-tai (黃景泰) was kept in 2015042000441detention Monday after he failed to put up NT$20 million (US$595,729) in bail set by the Keelung District Court for his release.

Huang, who was indicted for embezzlement Dec. 26, has been detained since Set. 4, 2014. The Keelung District Court, which is in charge of his trial, granted his request for bail to take part in the funeral of his father Tuesday, but he could not pay up the amount set by the court for his bail.

Huang’s lawyer Chen Ming-hui dismissed as “unreasonable ” the NT$20 million required for the bail, which is much higher than the NT$9.1 million public funds Huang was accused of appropriating in office.     [FULL  STORY]

Video of Taiwan testing F-5 fighter leaked on Youku

Want China Times
Date: 2015-04-20
By: Staff Reporter

Sensitive video footage of Taiwan’s military testing a fighter jet has been leaked onto a

A screen capture from the leaked video. (Internet photo)

A screen capture from the leaked video. (Internet photo)

Chinese video-sharing website, reports Duowei News, a US-based Chinese political news outlet.

The 44-second video uploaded on popular video streaming site Youku shows Taiwan’s RF-5E, the dedicated reconnaissance version of the F-5 supersonic light fighter jet, speeding along a runway at a military airbase in Hualien on the country’s east coast.

The fighter jet did not successfully take off in the end but the video managed to capture a significant portion of the military base, including hangars and other facilities.     [FULL  STORY]

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake rocks nation

AFTERSHOCKS:After the initial earthquake off the nation’s east coast yesterday morning, which killed one person, tremors were felt up to 10 hours later

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 21, 2015
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

The nation was struck by a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and four large aftershocks yesterday,

Central Weather Bureau seismology center director Kuo Kai-wen stands by a readout of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit the nation yesterday morning. Kuo said that the hypocenter was near the east coast at a depth of 17.5km. Photo: CNA

Central Weather Bureau seismology center director Kuo Kai-wen stands by a readout of the magnitude 6.3 earthquake that hit the nation yesterday morning. Kuo said that the hypocenter was near the east coast at a depth of 17.5km. Photo: CNA

killing one person and damaging infrastructure and private properties in the north.

After the main earthquake hit at 9:42am, an aftershock measuring magnitude 5.0 occurred seven minutes later, with the two epicenters only 13.2km apart.

A magnitude 5.5 aftershock struck southeast of Hualien at 7:20pm, which was measured at Level 4 intensity along the east coast. At 7:45pm, a magnitude 5.8 aftershock hit, generating Level 3 tremors in Yilan, Hualien and New Taipei City. Another aftershock came 15 minutes afterward, which was measured at magnitude 5.7.     [FULL  STORY]

Magnitude 5.7 earthquake rattles eastern Taiwan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/04/20
By: S.C. Chang

Taipei, April 20 (CNA) A magnitude 5.7 earthquake jolted eastern Taiwan at 8:00 p.m. Monday, 12573429. 20 20.05following a magnitude 6.3 earthquake and three other big jolts that struck the same region earlier in the day, the Central Weather Bureau said.

The epicenter of the latest quake was located at 78.6 km east of Hualien County at a depth of 15.7 km.

As of now, five quakes with a magnitude of at least 5 have hit eastern Taiwan Monday.

M 6.6 Earthquake for 71km E of Hualian, Taiwan

31 minutes ago · U.S. Geological Survey …. This alert has been updated.

Posted 12 minutes ago

An earthquake with magnitude 6.6 occurred near Su-ao, Taiwan at 01:42:58.40 UTC on Apr 20, 2015. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)

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Magnitude 6.8 earthquake east of Taiwan

2121583120 minutes ago 6.6 magnitude, 1 km depth
Suao, Taiwan

An earthquake with magnitude 6.8 occurred near Hua-lien, Taiwan at 01:42:56.00 UTC on Apr 20, 2015. (This event has been reviewed by a seismologist.)
  • Expect aftershocks. These secondary shockwaves are usually less violent than the main quake but can be strong enough to do additional damage to weakened structures and can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.
  • Look for and extinguish small fires. Fire is the most common hazard after an earthquake.
  • Be aware of possible tsunamis if you live in coastal areas. These are also known as seismic sea waves (mistakenly called “tidal waves”). When local authorities issue a tsunami warning, assume that a series of dangerous waves is on the way. Stay away from the beach.
  • Be careful when driving after an earthquake and anticipate traffic light outages.

Cops deny video of graveyard spewing mud and fire is from Johor (video)

The Star Online
Date: April 19, 2015PETALING JAYA: A viral video showing a graveyard spewing mud and fire is not from the Batu Pahat Chinese cemetery in Johor, say police.

“An investigation of several Chinese cemeteries in Batu Pahat failed to confirm that such an incident occurred,” said Bukit Aman police assistant secretariat Datin Asmawati Ahmad in a statement Sunday night.

However, police acknowledged that such phenomena does occur in other countries.

“Such phenomena exists in Pingtung, Taiwan, where mud volcanoes spew mud and natural gas which erupt once or twice a year. The fires are started deliberately by locals to burn off emissions,” she said.

Asmawati advised Malaysians not to spread false news because it could generate “negative speculation”.

However, a search by The Star Online later revealed that the video was actually shot in Taiwan by its state Central News Agency as coverage of the mud volcano eruption at Xinyuan Township in Pingtung, Taiwan, on Jan 28 this year.

According to the article, the mud volcano erupted within the cemetery and flooded a cornfield nearby, damaging the farmland.

The footage of the viral video can be seen from the one-minute mark onwards.

9 out of 10 employees in Taiwan think they are replaceable: survey

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2015/04/19
By: Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, April 19 (CNA) Although the job market has begun warming up amid the recovery, many 201504190011t0002workers in Taiwan remain with a high sense of anxiety about job security, according to a job bank survey, which showed 91 percent of those polled in the working class said they are replaceable at their present jobs.

As high as 56.9 percent of the respondents to the survey on job security anxiety said they had faced the crisis of being replaced or weeded out at least once during their working career.

Among them, 30 percent eventually became the subject of a layoff, 1111 Job Bank said, citing results of the survey it conducted on March 27-April 10 on its online members.     [FULL  STORY]