Diplomacy: Allies support UN bid
The Solomon Islands, Belize and Senegal, all allies of Taiwan, voiced their support for Taiwan's bid for UN membership on Tuesday. The support voiced by the three allies on the fifth day at the UN General Assembly debate brought to 12 the number of allies that have expressed support for Taiwan's UN bid at this year's UN General Assembly meeting. The three countries' representatives urged the UN to pay attention to the rights of the 23 million people on Taiwan and to the principle of pluralism regarding UN membership. Addressing the UN general debate session, Senegalese Foreign Minister Cheikh Tidiane Gadio said that based on the UN principle of pluralism, Senegal hopes that Taiwan will be able to rejoin the UN family.
Diplomacy: First lady to give talk in NYC
Taiwan's first lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) will deliver a speech at a luncheon to be held at the National Arts Club in New York City tomorrow, a Taiwanese official said Tuesday. Wu is scheduled to arrive in New York today at the start of a 10-day private visit that will also take her to Washington and Los Angeles. Andrew L.Y. Hsia (夏立言), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York, said Wu will speak about Taiwan's democratic development in her speech at the National Arts Club. Hsiao added that the New York itinerary of the first lady will focus on visiting cultural institutions and sites of historic interest. During her stay, she will also give an interview to the Wall Street Journal and possibly CNN, he said. Wu and her entourage are scheduled to leave New York for Washington by train Sunday.
Government: Cabinet OKs civil servant bill
The Cabinet approved a draft bill yesterday which would encourage civil servants to quit or retire early to help the Executive Yuan launch its downsizing plan in May 2004. The draft will proceed to the Legislative Yuan for further review and final approval. The draft bill -- which would exclude personnel employed by public schools, state-run enterprises and administrative officials -- would offer a fund of seven months' salary to those who are willing to retire or voluntarily leave between June 19 and May 20, next year. To qualify, applicants would have to have served for 20 years, or served for 10 years but be aged 50 years and older or held the highest ranking position and received the highest salary rank for at least three years. The government would reduce the compensation of those who wish to retire or are dismissed after the designated period.
Crime: Computer engineers
arrested Three computer engineers suspected to have stolen 1.7 million credit card codes that they sold to credit card counterfeiting rings have been arrested, a spokesman of the Kaohsiung District Prosecutor's Office said yesterday. The spokesman said that the three suspects were accused of stealing credit card information from the financial institution where they worked. With the information, card counterfeiting rings put out thousands of fake cards, causing losses through transactions with the fake cards estimated at NT$3.5 billion. Police began to suspect that employees of financial institutions might be involved in credit card fraud in May last year, when Kaohsiung police busted a counterfeit card ring in southern Taiwan.
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