Taiwan Tonight - Formosa English News | Oct. 16, 2026

The 2026 Taiwan Open of Surfing kicks off on November 6th in Taitung's Jinsun Harbor. At a press conference before the event, organizers unveiled this year's highlights. The most special part of the 16th edition this year is that we gained approval from the World Surf League to host the highest level 6,000 point event for both men's and women's longboard right here in Taitung. It's a huge vote of confidence for surfing in Taiwan. The Taiwan Open of Surfing, hosted by the Taitung County government, is entering its 16th year. This year's edition is to be divided into international and domestic events, with historic upgrades in competition standards. Beyond serving as a WSL Qualifying Series 6000 event, one of only four globally, Taitung will be the final leg of the season. Eligibility has also expanded across all seven continents for the first time, with a record-breaking prize pool. Sports events naturally combine with tourism, especially in a place as beautiful as Taitung. I trust that the county government is working very hard to keep improving this event. It provides more Taiwanese athletes with opportunities to compete alongside and learn from their international peers. Beyond top-tier surfing, there will also be land-based events for the first time, including a skateboarding jam, street dance battles, and Wild East Taitung Fitness Challenge. Organizers are also promoting travel itineraries for people in town for the competition to enjoy all that Taitung has to offer. Want to see a night sky full of stars? Head over to Lala Mountain in Taoyuan, which was recently designated an official urban night sky place. The hard-won honor involving retrofitting over 400 streetlights and working with hotels to reduce light pollution. Now it's Taiwan's first place to receive the international certification with further plans underway to incorporate local hotel culture to create a new and improved ecotourism hotspot. A canopy of stars twinkles overhead like it's straight out of a storybook. But this dreamy scene is right here in Taiwan, on Lala Mountain in Taoyuan. The area was recently designated Taiwan's first official urban night sky place. The mayor went to personally accept the honor. Taiwan is the second night sky certification. The first was Hehuanshan, a park. This one is an urban area. Lalashan is an urban preserve, but according to Dark Sky International guidelines, any area within 50 kilometers of an urban center qualifies. We plan to map out itineraries for our visitors to enjoy nature and experience Atayal culture while also stargazing at night. The city spared no effort in meeting the organization's standards. Since Taoyuan is adjacent to dense urban areas with severe light pollution, the local government worked hard to retrofit over 400 streetlights, adjusting the angles and adding light shields to make sure the ground stays safely illuminated without affecting the skies. It also worked with hotels to remove unnecessary lighting. Government of Mount Lala should be congratulated for taking a difficult decision to work through their regulations and do some retrofit and make this happen. We've seen so much effort put in by the government. And over the past year, we've found that the Dark Sky Initiative has served as a spark for us to care more deeply about our land. Beyond this, integrating the nocturnal environment with Atayal culture has also become extremely important. In addition to protecting the night sky, the project aims to boost tourism. The Italian city government is promoting 13 travel itineraries for visitors to enjoy thousand-year-old ancient trees and Atayal culture by day, before gazing up at the Milky Way at night for a full day of incredible experiences. Dozens raised their phones to snap photos and videos. Every inch of the platform was filled with people capturing memories of their beloved station. Tainan Railway's above-ground platform station will soon be decommissioned. Many locals flocked to the station to capture the last few images of the century-old railway where the lifelong memories were made before the trains are moved underground. I came from the northernmost point and filmed all the way to the south side, then from the southernmost point to the north as well. I filmed every single one along the way. It's about recording this final moment. As more locals record a Tainan railway station, they seem to live through the years of memories made through it. Going to school, dating, getting married and military service was all going through Tainan railway station. I grew up in Tainan. I loved sitting on the train. The massive farewell has created a lot of opportunity for local businesses, especially those preparing to move into the new underground station. Nearby bubble tea shops even offered special souvenirs such as keychains with purchases over a certain amount, so that customers could share the memory together. We used locally produced oranges to make our fresh fruit drinks. We hope more people will know more about Tainan's fresh fruits. There are pop-up stores. This event will last a whole month. Aside from the month-long market to be held at the new station, Taiwan Railway's administration also launched a limited-edition iPass with the design of the old station, attracting many customers to buy it as a collectible. I'll keep it as a souvenir. I won't open it. During this period, locals can be seen every day stopping to take photos of the old railway station, not only recording the trains running through the city, but also capturing how the city's landscape evolves. With the final train departing tonight, a new chapter officially begins for Tainan Railway. A security guard in a cash pickup run took advantage of a newly hired colleague to make off with millions in cash. The heist happened on October 8th in Tainan. The security guard distracted his colleague and took off in the company's armored vehicle from where he stole 14.5 million NT in cash. Police have arrested four suspects, but it is thought that a fifth accomplice is still at large. The main suspect drove the armored truck to Section 3 of Jian Kang Road. He told his colleague that they should split up, claiming there were many tasks to complete in the area. When his colleague left, he got on the armored truck and drove off. He distracted the other security guard and fled in the armored truck, which he abandoned on Yongcheng Road. He stole more than 14 million NTD cash from inside the vehicle. We have tracked suspects to various locations in Taichung and Tainan. Four have been taken into custody, and the stolen cash, vehicles and other evidence have been collected. The senior security guard drove the cash-loaded truck to a secluded area on Yongchun Road. in the South District. He packed up 14.5 million NT and escaped on a scooter he had parked in the area in preparation for the heist. Authorities have recovered 12.5 million NT from the loot. Four suspects have been detained to be held incommunicado on suspicion of occupational embezzlement and violations of the Money Laundering Control Act. The investigation continues to determine the motive, whether other insiders were involved, and where the remaining stolen money went. A groovy, glowing Christmas tree outfit, a ruffled flamenco dress dotted with haka print flowers, and an East Meet West Venetian carnival jester costume. All of these drag looks shining on stage were created by Iago Valine from Spain. It's all cheap brocades, so part of it comes from Asia, and part of it comes from Europe. I spent almost 200 hours on this one. From design and pattern making to sewing it all together, everything to the last stitch was crafted by Iago, who surprisingly is completely self-taught. By watching videos online, he learns how to make outfits that only get more elaborate and grand. My mom does a lot of traditional crafts, so even since I was young, I would see her making lace or dyeing fabrics. This shirt I also made myself. I used a bed sheet from when I was a kid. It's full of my childhood memories. Iago's talent also extends to languages. He's from Galicia, an autonomous community in northwest Spain that has a language of its own. In primary school, his family moved to the island of Jersey, a British crown dependency in the English Channel close to France. Besides speaking Galician, Spanish, English, French, and Mandarin, he's also studied German and even ancient Greek and Latin. In university, he double majored in linguistics and Chinese, and fell in love with Taiwan after coming here on exchange. I first came to Taiwan because I was curious. I ended up loving it here. I feel like Taiwan is very free, and I feel really happy here. One part is because I'm gay, and Taiwan is a very accepting society. That was really important. Because when I'm out and about, I don't feel like I'm in danger or anything. Having lived in Taiwan for 13 years now, Iago's friends, partner and job are all here. The freedom and diversity of the island have made this his second home. And he's here to stay. One key part of Pumashen's campaigning for Taipei mayor has been his soapbox events, where he addresses questions and complaints from citizens. The final event took place on Thursday evening at Lingsen Park. All 300 slips to submit questions were gone in just 15 minutes, showing just how eager locals were to reach Shen. Let's hear more. The nightlife in this part of the city always gets a bad rap. What can we do to preserve this unique culture? I think it all comes down to making some changes to the brightness of the lighting and the color schemes here. As a woman in the 20 to 30 age bracket, kid, I don't feel protected in Taipei. One of our policy proposals is to require all policies to undergo a safety audit before they are implemented so that people feel safe. Shen engaged with residents on a wide range of issues throughout the soapbox series, which kicked off outside Nangang Exhibition Center on September 17. Subsequent events were held at Ximending, Taipei Arena and Jiantan Station, among other locations. Six events were held over the course of the month, all drawing packed crowds and positive feedback in what was seen as a new approach to election campaigning in Taiwan. At the grand finale, Shen pledged that if he takes office, he will continue holding the soapbox sessions to ensure local issues receive the attention they deserve. Reporters noticed that Pumashen had taped two bright strips of kinesiology tape to relieve soreness and fatigue from all his campaigning. He continues to diligently prepare for the highly anticipated Taipei mayoral debate, which will take place on the 31st of this month at noon. But are the candidates ready for the big day? Because sometimes when I speak, I speak for long, But during debates, there will be gaps, like two minutes or three minutes, so I'm practicing to make my sentences shorter. Otherwise, in the end, with fixed speaking times, there might be no opportunity to finish speaking, which I think is quite important. I intend to go all out and prepare well. Both candidates are neck deep in preparation for the televised debate. However, eight media outlets, including FTV, have also submitted letters of intent to both sides, hoping for a second or even third debate. We will hold more invitations from organizers and media before coordinating further. There are many ways to schedule. I think all of this will need to be coordinated. Whether or not there will be a second debate, I'm open to it. Pumashen signed this agreement immediately. Does this mean that Mayor Chiang has already agreed as Luo Zijian said he also signed? Does this mean that other media outlets are authorized to hold a debate? Every media outlet has equal rights. Of course, the more debates a person participates in, the more they can showcase their competence. Jiang Wen'an gives the impression of being incompetent and ignorant, like a fool reading off a script. But after the debates, the truth will be clearer. Debates will allow us, the public, to have a better idea of the bigger picture. I think two debates are okay. Let the public test how witty the candidates are. One time is enough. It will be brilliant. Locals continue to eagerly wait for the 31st of October to watch the debate between Shen and Jiang. With just weeks to the local elections, the KMT and TPP have passed a bill to exempt senior citizens from paying health insurance premiums. When it enters effect, people aged 65 and older whose income tax rate is below 20% will no longer have to pay national health insurance premiums. That will come at the cost of $40 billion a year for the government. The move immediately drew backlash from seven major medical and health care associations and the health minister. Let's hear more. Elections last just a moment. But the National Health Insurance is something the people of Taiwan rely on. The system's principle that everyone pays according to their financial means is no more. So what now? Are lawmakers going to add even more slipshod clauses to the NHI system? It is extremely regrettable and even infuriating to a point. The government already has several policies to exempt seniors age 65, low-income households and other groups. But this only benefits people who aren't at a financial disadvantage. If no money is coming in, someone else has to pay for it. I urge young people to call up the legislators who voted for this bill and tell them about your opposition to it. Your insurance premiums could increase in the future. The Ministry of Health and Welfare has voiced concern over the financial impact of the bill. The KMT and TPP claim the bill excludes wealthier seniors. The income tax rate threshold of below 20% translates to anyone with annual income of up to $1.6 million. That is about 83% of senior citizens. If the additional cost is passed down, people aged 15 to 64 could face an extra 3,000 NT or more in annual expenses. If they are covered by tax revenue instead, each taxpaying household would have to shoulder an additional 8,000 NT or more per year.