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Taiwan quick take

Piracy: Police urged to crack down
Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) yesterday urged police around the nation to strengthen their anti-piracy efforts in order to avoid Taiwan's being placed by the US on its "priority watch list" for violations of intellectual property rights (IPR). Yu was visiting Kaohsiung to bestow awards on some members of the southern Taiwan section of the ministry's anti-piracy task force, and to listen to the report on the subject made by the task force's leader, Fu Chih-chung (伏志忠). Fu stressed that piracy has not only hampered the country's economic development and cut into the government's tax revenues, but has also hurt Taiwan's image abroad. He added that the southern Taiwan task force has intensified its crackdown on piracy and has gained fruitful results. He reported that so far this year, the anti-piracy task force has uncovered more than 1,000 such cases with a total value of some NT$4.52 billion (US$129.14 million).

Air traffic: More Macau-Taipei flights
Along with the sustained growth in the transport volume at Macau International Airport, the number of passengers on Macau-Taiwan flights in September showed a sharp increase from a year earlier, according to airport statistics released yesterday. The statistics showed that there were 161,257 arrivals and departures on Macau-Taipei round-trip flights in September, an increase of 11.81 percent from the 144,227 for the same month in the previous year. In the same month, there were 54,597 arrivals and departures on Macau-Kaohsiung round-trip flights, an increase of 22.41 percent from the year-earlier level of 44,601, the figures revealed. In general, there were 334,209 arrivals and departures at Macau International Airport in September, a year-on-year increase of 14.47 percent.

Literature: American hawks his books
Dan Bloom, a 43-year-old American from Boston, has visited over 20 night markets in Taiwan this year to sell his books In love with Taiwan (哈上台灣) and In love with Taiwanese night markets (哈上台灣夜市). Six years ago, an invitation from a Taiwanese friend brought Bloom to Taiwan and Chiai, where he has made his home ever since. After teaching English and writing for local English papers, Bloom wrote his first book, In love with Taiwan. Low sales figures made him decide to bring the book to Taiwan's night markets, where he learned the tricks of the trade from local stall owners. As he sees it, night markets do not only offer food, fun and cheap products, but they also display unique local features. He says selling books is not his only purpose for being at the night market, he also enjoys the hustle and bustle, the myriads of stalls and the human interaction it offers.

Diplomacy: Panamanian minister to visit
Panamanian Minister of Labor Joaquin Jose Vallarino III was scheduled to depart for Taiwan yesterday for a visit to study the nation's labor policy, labor protection, labor-management relationships and vocational training. While in Taiwan, Vallarino will call on Chen Chu (陳菊), chairwoman of the Cabinet-level Council of Labor Affairs, and other Taiwan officials, as well as attend Taiwan's Double Ten National Day celebration activities. Taiwan has set up a vocational training center in Costa Rica to provide Central American nations with which it has friendly relations to cultivate teachers. Vallarino is scheduled to arrive in Taipei tomorrow and depart for Panama Friday.

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