Author: Eryk Michael Smith

A wide range of political and business figures attended the opening ceremony on Sunday, including KMT Legislator Su Ching-chuan (蘇清泉), DPP Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱), Pingtung City Mayor Chou Chia-chi (周佳琪), and half a dozen county councilors, officials, as well as candidates running in the November local elections.

Fu said that government purchases of drones and unmanned boats could give local metalworking and manufacturing companies a route into higher-value defense and aerospace supply chains.

Afritai Ltd. (亞非台有限公司) founder Ubadigha Chinweze told Kaohsiung Times that he first noticed the opportunity while working part-time at a scrapyard as a student in Taiwan. One of his jobs was helping load shipping containers bound for Africa. The experience showed him that many Taiwanese used cars and auto parts still had value in overseas markets.

The city launched its All-Gender Accommodation Certification Program in 2023 to help hotels, hostels, and bed-and-breakfast operators enhance their services and facilities for travelers with diverse gender identities and sexual orientations. Sixty lodging businesses have received certification so far. The program also received an Executive Yuan Gender Equality Innovation Award, the bureau said.

The event is scheduled for July 24 at InterContinental Kaohsiung (高雄洲際酒店), according to the Taiwan Startup World Cup website. Organizers said the Kaohsiung event is part of a broader initiative to connect southern Taiwan’s startup teams with international investors, business leaders, accelerators, and entrepreneurship networks.

AmCham Kaohsiung was grateful and delighted to have the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan join the fun in the South.

Tourism Bureau Director Kao Min-lin (高閔琳) said that East Kaohsiung has a rich ecology, diverse cultures, and local craft traditions, and called on visitors to use the summer to explore the area at a slower pace.

There has also been growing cooperation between expat groups in northern and southern Taiwan. Te’Qin Windham, chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Taiwan (CanCham), told KHT she was looking forward to this weekend’s event and was pleased to work with the American Chamber of Commerce in Kaohsiung to help bring Canada Day activities to southern Taiwan.

By Eryk Michael Smith/KHT Staff. Image via Fount Media. KAOHSIUNG — Police reportedly detained 31 suspected drunk or drugged drivers during a one-night citywide crackdown on Friday, the first day of the Dragon Boat Festival holiday. The Kaohsiung City Police Department (高雄市政府警察局) deployed 610 officers at 51 checkpoints targeting high-risk roads, and entertainment districts. Police reported 13 drugged-driving cases and 18 drunk-driving cases, including one driver who refused a breath test. Officers also found seven people wanted by authorities for other legal reasons, and handled eight other criminal cases during the operation. Driving under the influence of drugs has become…

Hear stories of Taiwanese migrants in the Yaeyama Islands during the Japanese colonial era. On jungle-clad Iriomote Island, some suffered brutal conditions in coal mines. On nearby Ishigaki, Taiwanese settlers helped transform the island’s agriculture, developing its pineapple industry and also introducing water buffalo, whose descendants can be seen today pulling tourist carts.