The food delivery workers' union is calling on the Fair Trade Commission to
investigate recent fee hikes by some food delivery platforms.

They say that food delivery platforms are using the delivery worker rights
protection and delivery platform management act as a pretext to raise service
fees for partner restaurants.

The act was passed in January, and established concrete regulations and
protections for delivery workers, customers, and partner restaurants.

The Taiwan Delivery Industry Union Alliance today points out that Uber Eats
recently notified merchants that it was changing its fee structure as a
result of the act, raising fees for partner restaurants by 2.5% in July.

They emphasize that partner restaurants are essentially powerless to
negotiate with the platforms, leaving small and medium-sized businesses
forced to continue relying on the business brought in by delivery platforms
with ever-increasing fees.

Advocates also warn that the potential acquisition of Foodpanda by Grab
Holdings risks making it even harder for partner restaurants to negotiate
fees and for drivers to get reasonable working conditions.

(AH)

The president of Palau is expressing his strong support for Taiwan's
sovereignty, as Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim continues her visit to the
country.

President Surangel Whipps said that the failure to recognize Taiwan's
sovereignty would call into question the sovereignty of all small countries.

He called on other countries to "stand up for freedom," "democracy," and "the
rule of law."

Whipps also noted that Taiwan has demonstrated leadership in healthcare,
technology, and other fields, and that they should be included in
international discussions.

He called on Taiwan to be included in the UN and the WHO as well as other
international organizations.

Meanwhile Hsiao noted that Palau is Taiwan's only diplomatic ally that can be
accessed by such a short flight, encouraging Taiwanese tourists to take
advantage of Palau's natural beauty and sustainable tourism.

Today is the third day of Hsiao's five-day visit to Palau, which is her first
to a diplomatic ally since taking office.

(AH-CNA)

The Tai-Ex plunged in early trading following Friday's decline after big
artificial intelligence-related stocks saw sharp dips on Wall Street.

The main board shed 2,600 points shortly after opening this morning to drop
to 42,389 - as it fell to below the monthly moving average.

The fall was led by tech stocks ....

... and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing saw its share price decline by 135
N-T to 2,230 - marking the chipmaker's largest ever intraday decline.

While A-S-E, Hon Hai, and Delta Electronics all fell by about 7-per cent.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim is slated to address Palau's parliament today,
as part of her five-day trip to the diplomatic ally.

The Presidential Office says the address is seen as one of the most important
public events of her visit.

It will be made in the domed courtyard of Palau's National Congress and the
address will attended by Palau's President Surangel Whipps.

It's expected to focus on issues including Taiwan-Palau friendship,
democratic partnership, and regional peace and stability.

Hsiao is also scheduled to attend a drone donation and demonstration event ..

.... which officials say will showcase the partnership between Taiwan and
Palau in sharing democratic values, deepening technological cooperation, and
promoting sustainable development.

And,

The Central Weather Administration says heavy rain is expected to affect
parts of Taiwan this week due to the annual "plum rain" season.

The center says unstable weather and rain can be expected from today and the
heaviest rainfall is forecast for tomorrow and Wednesday.

The rain is forecast to ease off slightly on Thursday as the front shifts
southward, but central and southern parts of the island could still see
scattered showers and thunderstorms.

The front is expected to move north again between Friday and Saturday,
bringing another increase in rain, which could effect the west and
mountainous areas in the east into late next week.

The Coast Guard Administration is condemning China's announcement of its
maritime law enforcement operation in waters east of Taiwan -- saying Beijing
has no sovereign rights in the area and its claims violate international law.

The administration also rejected assertions by China's Ministry of Transport
that it's conducting a "special maritime traffic law enforcement operation"
in the area.

Officials say China does not enjoy any sovereign rights in waters east of
Taiwan and Beijing's actions violate international law.

The Coast Guard Administration says it closely monitored the situation and
took concrete steps to defend Taiwan's sovereignty and secure its waters.

Four Chinese ships reportedly sailed into Taiwan’s restricted waters
30-nautical miles southwest of Taiwan proper’s southern most tip.

Seven coast guard vessels were deployed to warn away the Chinese ships before
all four vessels were then "expelled" from the restricted waters.

China's state media has reported that that ships were deployed to carry out a
"special maritime traffic ​law-enforcement operation" in waters east of
Taiwan as a response response to a Japanese and Philippine announcement
defining their maritime boundaries.

K-M-T Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun says the party aims to serve as a "bridge
builder" in cross-strait relations and will help chart a new path toward
peace and regional stability.

At a business community event in Boston, Cheng said the K-M-T remains
committed to upholding the Constitution of the Republic of China and
advancing what she described as its historic mission of promoting peace and
prosperity.

Cheng also said the K-M-T will not stand by while younger generations face
the risk of military conflict, and she believes there is an alternative to
confrontation across the Taiwan Strait ...

.. while Taiwan and China should pursue peace and mutually beneficial
development.

The K-M-T says more than 300 overseas Taiwan attended the event, waving R-O-C
flags to welcome Cheng and her delegation during their ongoing visit to the
U-S.

Cheng is expected to travel to Washington D.C. this week for talks with
lawmakers, policy experts and think tank representatives to discuss
cross-strait stability, regional security and Taiwan-US relations.

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim is urging more Taiwan tourists to visit Palau.

She made the call after snorkeling with Palau's President Surangel Whipps
during her first visit to the diplomatic ally as vice president.

Hsiao arrived in Palau on Saturday on a direct flight from Taiwan.

She joined Whipps on a boat trip Sunday morning to Big Drop Off, a renowned
snorkeling and diving site in the southern part of Palau's Rock Islands.

Hsiao said after working hard in their daily lives, people in Taiwan deserve
to arrange an island getaway to relax and recharge, and Palau is a convenient
choice because it is close to Taiwan and served by direct flights.

Data from the Tourism Administration shows that the number of Taiwan visitors
to Palau has increased in recent years, rising from more than 10 thousand in
2023 to just over 14 thousand in 2025.

Hsiao also traveled to Peleliu on Sunday, one of the states in southern
Palau, where she visited a World War II memorial museum .

Sunday marked the second day of Hsiao's ongoing five-day trip to Palau -
during which she is representing President Lai Ching-te, following an
invitation from Whipps.

Premier Zhu Rong-tai has used a ceremony marking National Oceans Day in
Kaohsiung to push the Lai administration's anti-crime efforts.

Zhu reaffirmed the government's commitment to combating drugs and organized
crime, highlighting the Cabinet's recently announced anti-crime and anti-drug
initiatives.

Those measures include plans to establish a central command task force
bringing together prosecutors, police, investigators, military police, coast
guard and customs authorities.

Zhy also said he hopes National Oceans Day will come to symbolize national
sovereignty, maritime security and environmental protection.

He touted plans to establish of marine survey teams and a national ship-model
testing laboratory and said the government will also continue to promote an
integrated sea-air coast guard to enhance maritime security and national
resilience.

The event also saw the first public display of the Coast Guard
Administration's newly acquired Penguin second-generation vertical takeoff
and landing drone drones.

The drones cost 7-million U-S dollars are were developed by US-based Edge
Autonomy and full delivery is expected by end of this month.

The drones are being assembled by Taiwan Color Optics and are designed for
maritime surveillance and aerial patrol missions.

Taipei Songshan Airport was forced to suspend ground operations on Sunday, as
heavy thunderstorms battered northern Taiwan.

Bad weather triggered flight delays and disrupted services at airports with
scheduled flights to and from Songshan Airport.

The suspension took effect at 2:38PM due to thunderstorms and lightning
activity.

The disruptions came as the Central Weather Administration issued extremely
heavy and heavy rain advisories for cities and counties across western
Taiwan, Yilan and mountainous areas of Hualien.

The administration said a strong convective cloud systems brought
short-duration intense downpours, with New Taipei and mountainous areas of
Yilan facing the most severe conditions.

That resulted in both areas being placed under extremely heavy rain
advisories.

And,

Taiwan's representative to Japan, Lee Yi-yang has attended the Tokyo Pride
Parade.

Lee was invited to speak on the event's main stage by Britain's ambassador
to Japan, Julia Longbottom.

He was only official representative from an Asian country to do so.

Lee used his speech to tout Taiwan as the first country in Asia to legalize
same-sex marriage in 2019, describing the move as not only a legal milestone
but also a reflection of broader social progress.

He also noted that Taiwan ranks first in Asia and sixth globally in
gender-related rankings compiled by the Organisation for Economic
Co-operation and Development.

Memwbers of Team Taiwan, a group formed by the Taipei Representative Office
in Japan, the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights and the
Taiwan AIDS Foundation attended the event.

The groups operated a booth themed around Taiwanese temples and night
markets, featuring divination slips highlighting milestones in Taiwan's
progress toward gender equality.

US President Donald Trump says his administration is still considering a
proposed US$14 billion arms sale to Taiwan ... and that he plans to discuss
the issue with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

Trump's remarks, in response to reporter questions aboard Air Force One, came
after he said following a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in
Beijing last month that a decision on a new arms package for Taiwan would be
made soon.

Lai has previously said that, if given the opportunity to speak with Trump,
he would stress that strengthening Taiwan's defensive capabilities and buying
US weapons are necessary to safeguard Taiwan's security and maintain peace
and stability across the Taiwan Strait.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the proposed arms package remains
under review within the US administration.

Rubio told Congress that Washington doesn't consult Beijing on arms sales to
Taiwan and that US policy toward Taiwan hasn't changed.

CNA_JvW

Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) has departed for a visit to Palau, one of
Taiwan's three Pacific allies.

She said her mission is to deepen bilateral ties, promote local tourism and
review the results of development projects guided by Taiwan.

The projects Hsiao referenced are in the fields of healthcare, fisheries,
agriculture and public infrastructure.

Her delegation includes Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Ching-yi
(林靜怡) and Deputy Foreign Minister Ge Baushuan (葛葆萱)

This is the vice president's first overseas visit since she assumed office in
May 2024.

CNA_JvW

Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an boasted of six enhancements to education policy at
this year's Taipei Education Expo.

Chiang said today that starting in the current academic year, elementary and
junior high schools will have free lunches.

Among the other changes: Maximum class sizes will be reduced to 25 in
elementary schools, 26 in junior high schools and 32 in senior high.

There will also be an incentive system for cross-school teacher exchanges and
a paid overseas research program for outstanding teachers.

Chiang said the city's education budget will exceed NT$83 billion.

The Taipei Education Bureau said the price tag for the free-lunch program
that will be made available for 186,000 students is 3.76 billion NT. Teachers
and other staff who supervise lunchtimes will be granted subsidies as part of
the program.

CNA_zh_JvW

leave

Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-ho (陳清河) say's he'll take a
two-month unpaid leave of absence after making rash comments in an address to
students last month.

He had told graduating students to "end themselves" if life in the workforce
became too taxing.

In his May 30th address to graduates, he told them, "this world no longer
needs your existence {if you can't cope with workplace challenges}."

Chen said in a social media post that he hadn't been sufficiently careful in
his remarks due to a tight schedule.

He said he had requested and been granted a two-month unpaid leave of absence
effective June 8 and would reflect on the incident and exercise greater
caution in future remarks.

CNA_JvW

In MLB news ...

The Athletics have promoted their No. 4 prospect, Lin Wei-en (林維恩), to
Triple-A, making the 20-year-old the youngest Taiwanese player to reach that
level.

The Athletics assigned the left-hander to the Las Vegas Aviators, one day
after he was named the Texas League's Pitcher of the Month for May.

Lin began his professional career last year ... and advanced from Low-A to
High-A and then Double-A in a single season.

So far this year, Lin has gone 3-1 with 53 strikeouts and a 1.93 earned run
average in 10 appearances on the mound.

Lin becomes the third Taiwanese pitcher currently playing in Triple-A,
joining Athletics prospect Zhuang Chen Zhong-ao (莊陳仲敖) and Diamondbacks
prospect Lin Yu-min.

CNA_JvW

Taipei Zoo says two red pandas from the Shanghai Zoo have arrived in Taiwan.

They were given to Taipei Zoo under an MoU signed at the 2024 Shanghai-Taipei
City Forum.

Taipei Zoo said both animals were in good health upon their arrival early
this morning.

The two red pandas, a three-year-old male and a two-year-old female, will be
transferred to the zoo's temperate zone animal area after their month-long
quarantine.

The zoo said they'll have their public debut once they become accustomed to
their new habitat.

In return for the red pandas, Taipei Zoo will send white-handed gibbons to
Shanghai Zoo.

CNA_JvW

As tourism season picks up on Green Island, a potential case of arson has
destroyed 9 motorcycles and damaged a dozen others.

A row of rental motorcycles parked in front of a guesthouse were engulfed in
flames in the wee hours this morning, with the Green Island Fire Department
dispatching three trucks to extinguish the blaze.

There were no injuries, and police are investigating the cause, which they
said could be due to carelessness or arson.

CNA_zh_JvW

President Lai Ching-te says Taiwan is the logical location for Asia's version
of Nasdaq ... given its comprehensive AI ecosystem and status as a technology
powerhouse.

Speaking in an interview broadcast by TTV and (台視) and Feifan TV (非凡電視), Lai
said Taiwan hopes to become a global hub for technology investment and
capital.

To achieve that, Taipei Times reports that Lai said Taiwan needs to adopt
more flexible and innovation-friendly stock-listing rules.

He said his administration has already taken steps to make this so --
relaxing more than 52 rules and regulations over the past two years. This
includes broadening investor eligibility for trading on the main board and
allowing odd-lot trading, margin financing and day trading.

Lai said that Taiwan has better potential to earn the title of 'Asia's
Nasdaq' than South Korea, Japan, Singapore, China or Hong Kong, as it
possesses the world's most complete AI supply chain.

Traffic controls are in place through early tomorrow morning around Taipei's
Ketagalan Boulevard to accommodate the second annual "Taiwan Let's Play Day."

The area in front of the Presidential Office has been transformed into a
large outdoor playground.

Motorists are advised to use alternative routes, including Qingdao West Road,
Changde Street, Guiyang Street and Aiguo West Road.

The event will be held from 2 pm to 6 pm. It's organized by the Public Parks
for Children Coalition.

If you want to take part, admission is free. But attendance will be capped at
900 participants,

CNA_JvW

Canada Day isn't going to be celebrated in Taipei until the end of the month,
but there's a kind of preview today.

Organizers are holding a musical competition to help drive excitement and
boost community involvement.

The Battle of the Bands will be held at Taipei's Maji Square from 4-8pm
today. The event is free and open to the public.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan Chair Toi Windham says that audiences
will see and hear some of Taiwan's most exciting emerging talent.

The top three bands will earn a chance to perform at Celebration Canada in
three weeks.

That event will be held at Taipei's Hakka Park on June 27th.

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics says Taiwan's
consumer price index in May exceeded the 2 percent alert level set by the
central bank ... largely due to a spike in crude-oil prices.

CPI rose by 2.2 percent from a year earlier last month, accelerating from a
1.73 percent increase in April. It's the first time Taiwan's inflation has
breached 2 percent since last April.

The DGBAS says communications and transportation prices rose 4 percent from a
year earlier, after fuel prices surged 20 percent, with air ticket prices
gaining 10 percent on higher fuel surcharges.

That's the highest growth in about four and a half years for those segments.

The prices of vegetables, eggs and fishery items gained 9.7 percent, 7.9
percent and 4 percent, respectively, in May.

In aggregate, food prices rose 1.4 percent.

A DGBAS official said air-fuel surcharges will be cut from June 7, which is
expected to moderate air-ticket price growth.

CNA_JvW

The Central Weather Administration says rainfall is expected to ease across
most of Taiwan today ... although localized heavy rain is still forecast
along the west coast

The CWA said today will likely be the "calmest day of the coming week," as a
low-pressure system gradually moves away.

A new weather front is expected to develop over southern China tomorrow ...
that will bring more rain early next week.

Central and southern Taiwan may experience scattered afternoon thunderstorms
today, while other regions are expected to see mostly cloudy skies with
localized afternoon showers and thunderstorms.

CNA_JvW

The Kaohsiung District Court has sentenced a 74-year-old man to death for the
murders of three women in separate incidents between 2024 and 2025.

The court says Chang Chieh-tsung was convicted of murder, desecration and
abandonment of corpses, as well as theft involving one of the victims.

Judges found that Chang killed three women, aged between 71 and 75, and later
disposed of their remains.

The court also ordered the lifelong deprivation of his civil rights.

The ruling can be appealed.

Court officials say Chang showed no visible reaction as the verdict was read.

Following the hearing, relatives of two of the victims rushed toward the
defendant and assaulted him before court officers intervened.

Chang was later remanded into custody.

Taiwanese manufacturing giant Hon Hai is reporting record high consolidated
revenue for the month of the May this year ... reaching almost 860 billion
NT.

That's up nearly 40 percent from the same month last year ... and over 3
percentage points higher from April.

Hon Hai's total revenue for the first five months of 2026 now stands at over
3.8 trillion NT — the company's highest figure ever recorded for that period.

The company says strong demand for AI products continues to boost shipments
and growth in its cloud and networking business.

Looking ahead, Hon Hai says its second-quarter performance is now expected to
come in better than previously forecast.

However, the company cautioned that it will continue to monitor risks
stemming from the changing global political and economic environment.

(IG)

trip

The Legislative Yuan has unanimously passed a resolution condemning what it
described as Beijing's efforts to obstruct President Lai Ching-te's planned
visit to Eswatini in April.

The resolution denounces China's alleged use of diplomatic and economic
pressure to persuade third countries to revoke flight clearances for Lai's
chartered aircraft.

Lawmakers said such actions endangered flight safety, violated international
norms and undermined Taiwan's right to engage with the international
community.

The measure was adopted without objection after being proposed by the ruling
Democratic Progressive Party and endorsed by the opposition Taiwan People's
Party.

Lai's original trip was canceled after several countries along the planned
flight route withdrew overflight permission.

However, he later traveled to Eswatini aboard the private aircraft of King
Mswati the Third and returned to Taiwan in early May.

(CNA_IG)

NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang says the company has doubled production capacity for
the second half of this year to meet strong demand for AI systems.

He says capacity remains extremely tight across the supply chain and is
warning suppliers to prepare for much stronger growth next year.

Huang says NVIDIA's Grace Blackwell systems remain in mass production, while
its next-generation Vera Rubin platform is beginning to ramp up.

He notes that NVIDIA now works with about 120 supply chain partners in Taiwan
and says the island remains at the center of the AI-driven computing
revolution and future demand for computing power.

Huang wrapped up his 14-day trip to Taiwan on Friday before departing for
South Korea ...

... where he says he will meet key partners, while industry observers are
closely watching developments in high-bandwidth memory, a key component in
advanced AI computing.

(IG)

The 11th annual Railway Bento Festival has opened at Taipei Main Station,
featuring a record selection of more than 80 bento varieties from 64 local
and international exhibitors.

The four-day event showcases railway-themed meals, including premium
limited-edition bentos made with ingredients such as eel, grouper and
scallops.

Organizers say this year's festival has attracted the largest number of
participating brands in its history.

Taiwan Railway Chairman Cheng Kuang-yuan (鄭光遠) says the event has become an
important platform for promoting Taiwan's railway culture and food
traditions.

Taiwan Railway estimates that the Taipei and Kaohsiung editions of the
festival will attract more than 600 thousand visitors collectively ... and
generate over 50 million NT in business opportunities.

(IG)

DPP lawmaker Chung Chia-pin said that it's "hard to understand" why the
opposition KMT and TPP would block his proposal to support Taiwan's domestic
drone industry.

He added that the opposition parties have said that they support Taiwan's
drones and that the mayor of Taichung, KMT's Lu Shiow-yen, has even said that
she wants to make Taichung Taiwan's leading city in the drone industry.

Taichung lawmakers have also voiced their support for developing the local
drone industry.

However, he said, the two parties have prevented his proposal from moving
forward by voting against its being included in the agenda.

Co-proposer Chen Kuan-ting noted that the previous special defense budget did
not include funds for the drone industry, so he hoped that a special act
would fill that gap.

He added that he hoped the opposition parties would submit their own proposal
for drone-related development.

（AH）

In sports news,

Taiwanese pitcher Teng Kai-wei (鄧愷威) suffered his fourth loss of the season
as the Houston Astros were beaten 5-1 by the Pittsburgh Pirates yesterday.

Teng gave up five runs over five innings, allowing seven hits while walking
two and striking out one batter.

After allowing a first-inning run, the 27-year-old settled down and kept the
Pirates scoreless over the next four innings.

However, Pittsburgh broke the game open in the sixth, highlighted by a
two-run home run from Ryan O'Hearn.

Houston struggled offensively, managing just one run on a solo homer by Isaac
Paredes.

The loss dropped Teng's record to 3-and-4 and raised his earned run average
to 3-point-0-6.

It was also his toughest outing of the season, with the five runs allowed
marking a season high.

(CNA_IG)

The Criminal Investigation Bureau says that former Sunflower Movement figure
Johanne Liou has been arrested after being deported from the United States.

The bureau says Liou arrived at Taoyuan International Airport yesterday under
escort from U-S immigration authorities and was immediately taken into
custody.

Investigators say she is wanted in several jurisdictions on allegations
including embezzlement, fraud and drug offenses involving cocaine and
marijuana.

According to authorities, Liou traveled to the United States in 2019 and
later overstayed her visa.

U-S authorities arrested her in Boston earlier this year, and prosecutors say
a series of appeals delayed her deportation.

Liou was placed on a wanted list in 2023 after failing to appear in court in
a case handled by the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office.

(CNA_IG)

President Lai Ching-te is inviting NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang to tour Taiwan's
nuclear power facilities...

in what may indicate future backtracking on the DPP's nuclear policy.

The president's comments follow remarks made by Huang in which he touted the
importance of Taiwan's energy security for the global supply chain.

Before departing Taiwan today, the NVIDIA CEO called the invitation an
"honor..."

and said that energy security is key to Taiwan being able to maintain its
economic stronghold in the AI sector.

(AH)

Construction has officially begun on Taiwan's first national museum dedicated
to Indigenous peoples, with a groundbreaking ceremony held today at
Chengching Lake in Kaohsiung.

The National Museum of Indigenous Peoples Preparatory Office says the venue
will approach history, culture, and contemporary life from Indigenous
perspectives through its collections, research, exhibitions, and education
programs.

The office says it will combine cultural storytelling, interactive
technology, and immersive displays to create a multisensory experience for
visitors.

The musem is expected to be completed and begin trial operations by the end
of next year.

(NS)

Lawmakers and animal rights groups are touting the results of a sterilisation
programme for strays.

At a joint press conference today, animal welfare advocates and lawmakers
said that puppy intake at shelters has fallen by more than 88 percent in
areas where the program has been implemented, and public reports of stray dog
sightings in Taipei City have dropped by 92 percent.

The program locates and sterilises female dogs, both owned and unowned, and
targets a sterilisation rate of at least 80 per cent among females.

These lawmakers are calling for the approach to be expanded nationwide.

Government officials in attendance also announced planned changes to the
Animal Protection Act, which will require owners to get permission from their
local government before pets are exempted from sterilization.

(NS)

Taiwan High Speed Rail has unveiled three new bento box flavors at this
year's Railway Bento Festival, which opened today at Taipei Main Station.

The new menu includes a Hakka-style pork chop with kumquat sauce, braised
chicken with millet rice, and a vegetarian braised tofu skin meal served with
purple rice.

Visitors to the festival, which runs through Monday, can sample the meals
early at a special price of $110 N-T, which includes a complimentary bottle
of water.

The bentos will officially go on sale at T-H-S-R stations and aboard trains
from July 1st during lunch and dinner service.

T-H-S-R says the new menu is designed to showcase Taiwanese flavors and
regional food culture.

(IG)

The new chair of the DPP Penghu offices says, his office will be ready to
support the party's pick for magistrate as soon as they announce who will
run.

Lu Chang Zai made the comments at the handover ceremony today, as he takes
over from Yan Jia Kang.

That's as current magistrate Chen Guangfu has been hospitalized since
February and the party has not said if they will support someone else in
Chen's stead.

Outgoing Yan remarked positively on party affairs under his tenure, saying he
was pleased to see record support for the DPP in Penghu in 2022 and 2024.

Lu, who's returning as chair, says, his first task will be to ensure success
for the party in November's elections.

He says, the party offices will be ready to throw its full support behind
whoever the DPP chooses.

(AH)

Taipei Zoo is reminding visitors that it will close for ten days starting
June 22nd, before reopening for extended summer hours.

The zoo said today that it schedules an annual closure each year to carry out
major repairs with minimal disruption to the animals.

This year's closure runs from June 22nd through July 1st, and keepers are
advising visitors to plan accordingly.

Then every Saturday in July and August, the zoo will stay open until 9 p.m.,
with special nightime activities offering a unique experience.

This year also marks the 20th anniversary of the extended hours program, and
the zoo is planning a special exhibition centered around visitor memories.

Members of the public are invited to submit photos and recollections before
June 15th.

(NS)

Taiwan shares are down today, with the benchmark tai ex losing 662 points to
close the session at 45014.

The turnover was 1.156 trillion NT

A man who allegedly killed a post office worker yesterday appears to have a
history of issues with the post office.

The 61 year old worker, surnamed Yang, was allegedly attacked by a man
surnamed Liu, and stabbed 10 times.

The attacker was apparently upset about the noise coming from the Zhunan
branch of the post office.

Yang's brother says today that his brother's body was unrecognizable,
lamenting that "society is really sick."

A former coworker of Yang's says that the post office had frequently handled
complaints from Mr Liu, even reporting the concerns to superiors and
implementing improvements regarding the noise based on Liu's suggestions.

According to the former coworker, Liu sometimes appeared satisfied with the
changes, but would then have new complaints.

He noted that Liu previously brought a knife to the Zhunan post office,
threatening postal workers.

Liu was later convicted of endangering public safety and sentenced to 10 days
of detention.

Chunghwa post is expressing their regret over the incident, and has pledged
to assist with funeral arrangements, insurance payments, and a legal team if
the family opts to pursue civil compensation.

(AH)

In Changhua,

the DPP's pick for magistrate is calling for unity as her fellow party
members threatens to give up his party membership to run as an independent.

DPP Lawmaker and magisterial nominee Chen Su Yue says, she hopes to unite the
strength of all supporters.

That's as former Changhua City mayor Qiu Jian Fu has indicated he may drop
his membership and run against Chen as soon as next week.

As to whether or not Chen would seek Qiu out to discuss the issue, she said
she sought out each of her 3 competitiors for the nomination following the
primaries.

So, she says, she'll leave it to the DPP to resolve.

(AH)

The Cabinet says it will establish a review mechanism to restrict imports of
goods linked to forced labor.

The statement comes after the Office of the U-S Trade Representative named
Taiwan as one of 60 economies it says either failed to impose, or enforce a
ban on the importation of goods produced with forced labor.

As a result, Taiwan now faces an additional 10-per cent tariff.

The Cabinet says it will use the Foreign Trade Act as the legal basis to
ensure that supply chain governance more into line with international
standards on human rights, resilience and sustainability.

At the same time, the Cabinet's Office of Trade Negotiations says the
government is continues to help businesses prevent forced labor ..

Part of that effort includes proposed amendments to the Employment Service
Act that will "fully prohibit" employers from withholding workers' identity
documents or property.

Those amendments are pending legislative approval.

Czech Senate President Milos Vystrcil left Taiwan at around 11PM last night
on a China Airlines flight to Prague without making a statement.

Vystrcil and members of the delegation met with President Lai Ching-te, who
conferred the Order of Propitious Clouds on the Czech Senate President in
recognition of his longstanding support for Taiwan

He also held talks with lawmakers from the D-P-P, the K-M-T and the Taiwan
People's Party at the Legislative Yuan and met with heads of several
government ministries to promote political, economic, and cultural exchanges.

It was Vystrcil's second visit to Taiwan since 2020.

At the same time, the Lai administration has pledged to establish a new
50-million euro fund to encourage more Taiwan investment in the Czech
Republic, and more Czech investment in Taiwan.

The new fund is in addition to the existing 200-million U-S dollar fund for
investment in Central and Eastern Europe launched in 2022.

K-M-T Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun has met with officials in Santa Clara as part
of her visit to the U-S as part of efforts to seek deeper strategic
cooperation with the California county.

Cheng is said to have met with Santa Clara City Mayor Lisa Gillmor and Otto
Lee, the first ethnic Chinese county supervisor in Silicon Valley.

The K-M-T says Cheng told Gillmor and Lee that he hope to see Taiwan engaging
in deeper strategic cooperation with Santa Clara by leveraging Taiwan's
strengths as a "Silicon Shield."

She also said that Taiwan is facing a serious power shortage crisis due to
what she described as flawed energy policies pursued by the D-P-P and Taiwan
should learn from Santa Clara's experience to stabilize its power supply.

The K-M-T says Cheng also reiterated that one of the main goals of her visit
is to help ease cross-strait tensions, reduce conflict risks, and advance
technology integration under a stable environment, which in turn will bring a
"peace bonus" to the Indo-Pacific region.

Some 500 people gathered yesterday evening for a candlelight vigil outside
Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei marking the 37th anniversary of the
June 4 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre.

This year's memorial was themed "Memory Beyond Borders, Resistance Without
Boundaries."

Organizers say many of the participants were Hongkongers living in Taiwan...
despite the heavy rain they held electronic candles and observed 64 seconds
of silence at 8:09PM to mourn the victims of the crackdown.

The 500 people that turned up last night was considerably less than the 3,000
organizers say attended the event last year and heavy rain is be cited at the
main reason for that.

Taiwan-based Hongkongers held a separate candlelight vigil at 228 Peace
Memorial Park in Taipei, with around 60 people in attendance.

Meanwhile...

President Lai Ching-te is urging China to face up to the Tiananmen Square
Massacre on its 37th anniversary and grant fundamental civil rights to the
Chinese people.

In a social media post, Lai wrote "a truly great nation should not place its
faith in military might or the pursuit of force" and it should instead
"embrace diverse voices, protect the people's right to pursue their dreams,
and have the courage to confront the wounds of its history."

Lai said he sincerely hopes "that China will confront the June Fourth
Incident, 37 years ago, acknowledge the truth, heal the pain, and begin a
process of reconciliation and dialogue."

He added that Taiwan would continue to stand with those who strive for
freedom and democracy until the truth is revealed and until no one has to
sacrifice their lives simply to seek freedom.

Taipei

The Taipei District Prosecutors' Office has indicted a 41-year-old man
suspected of attacking a 3-year-old Filipino girl and a Taiwanese man at the
Taipei Main Station in April.

Lee Kun-rui is said to have first assaulted the Taiwanese man, kicking him in
the abdomen in the station's lobby, before targeted the 3-year-old some 15
minutes later at the same location.

The man hit the child with his hands and causing her to fall over, then
kicked the girl twice while she was on the ground, resulting in bruises on
her back and face.

The man then attempted to attack the child again when the girl's mother was
picking her up, but he was stopped by onlookers.

Lee was immediately arrested by police and held without bail.

The man has been charged with violating the Child and Juvenile Welfare and
Rights Protection Act and Criminal Code.

Prosecutors say they will seek the maximum punishment for Lee under the law,
given his violence against a child visiting Taiwan and the harm to the
country's tourism image.

And,

The National Development Council has launched what's it's calling a "one-stop
banking initiative aimed at making it easier for foreign residents to access
financial services."

The service will be available at C-T-B-C Bank, E.SUN Commercial Bank, Taipei
Fubon Commercial Bank, Taishin International Bank, Mega International
Commercial Bank and First Commercial Bank.

The service is aimed at providing streamlined account opening, credit card
and international transfer services.

Under the initiative, participating banks will be encouraged to accept
overseas proof of income and foreign tax records when reviewing credit card
applications and to waive Taiwanese guarantor requirements.

The designated branches will establish dedicated counters and assign
specialist staff to assist foreign clients.

The N-D-C says the banks are expected to offer these services at 17
designated branches across Taiwan.