After local media reported that a Nantou County bikini contest would be held on the grounds of a Buddhist temple, County Commis-sioner Lee Chao-ching (李朝卿) yesterday clarified that a final decision had not been made on the venue for the event.
The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) and CTI-TV, among other media outlets, reported yesterday that the Miss Bikini World 2006 finals were going to be held on the grounds of the Chung Tai Chan Monastery, with the hope of promoting the county's local culture and luring tourists.
Lee said in a press conference on Tuesday that the contest should be held at the monastery because the temple there was a "marvel" that contestants -- who will arrive from many countries for the swimwear spectacular -- should see. He said holding the event at the monastery would help put Nantou County on the map, according to yesterday's reports.
Lee contacted the temple last week and gave them three days to mull over the idea, the reports said. Later he visited Master Weijue (
But Lee said yesterday during a press conference that although Weijue had agreed to host the bikini competition, the nation's Miss Bikini World 2006 Committee had not made a decision on where the event will be held.
Chen Chi-han (
The committee won't officially announce its final decision until Aug. 12, Chen said.
Lee said that he hoped to promote tourism in the area, and that the pageant could be held at Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) and Puli Township in addition to the monastery.
"If bikinis are not appropriate for the monastery, then the category in which contestants wear traditional outfits from their countries can be held at the temple, while the bikini segment can be held at Sun Moon Lake," Lee said.
At first Weijue did not think it was a good idea to host a beauty pageant, since the Buddhist faith preaches against vanity, the Liberty Times reported.
But he then agreed that the contest could be held at the Pu Tai Elementary and Junior High School grounds, situated next to the monastery.
Master Chienyun (
Chienyun acknowledged that some might be scandalized at the monastery's decision to allow a bikini contest on the temple grounds, but he stressed that the school where the contest would be held is separate from the dojo -- a hall where Buddhists practice meditation, the report said.
Also, the school was built with public contributions, so lending the ground to the county for activities was a way for the monastery to give back to the public, he said.
One of two tropical depressions that formed off Taiwan yesterday morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. The weather system is expected to move northwest as it builds momentum, possibly intensifying this weekend into a typhoon, which would be called Mitag, Lee said. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is forecast to approach the southeast of Taiwan on Monday next week and pass through the Bashi Channel
WARNING: People in coastal areas need to beware of heavy swells and strong winds, and those in mountainous areas should brace for heavy rain, the CWA said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued sea and land warnings for Typhoon Ragasa, forecasting that it would continue to intensify and affect the nation the most today and tomorrow. People in Hualien and Taitung counties, and mountainous areas in Yilan and Pingtung counties, should brace for damage caused by extremely heavy rain brought by the typhoon’s outer rim, as it was upgraded to a super typhoon yesterday morning, the CWA said. As of 5:30pm yesterday, the storm’s center was about 630km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving northwest at 21kph, and its maximum wind speed had reached
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said that it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Ragasa this morning and a land warning at night as it approached Taiwan. Ragasa intensified from a tropical storm into a typhoon at 8am yesterday, the CWA said, adding that at 2pm, it was about 1,110km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip. The typhoon was moving northwest at 13kph, with sustained winds of up to 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA Web site showed. Forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said that Ragasa was projected to strengthen as it neared the Bashi Channel, with its 200km
PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS: Hualien and Taitung counties declared today a typhoon day, while schools and offices in parts of Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties are also to close Typhoon Ragasa was forecast to hit its peak strength and come closest to Taiwan from yesterday afternoon through today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan proper could be out of the typhoon’s radius by midday and the sea warning might be lifted tonight, it added. CWA senior weather specialist Wu Wan-hua (伍婉華) said that Ragasa’s radius had reached the Hengchun Peninsula by 11am yesterday and was expected to hit Taitung County and Kaohsiung by yesterday evening. Ragasa was forecast to move to Taiwan’s southern offshore areas last night and to its southwestern offshore areas early today, she added. As of 8pm last night,
RSS