■ Government
China not keen on links: VP
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday that China is not keen on setting up direct transport links with Taiwan and that the approach only forms a part of Beijing's psychological war against Taiwan. The government must take into account national security and social stability while assessing the issue, Lu commented while attending a ground-breaking ceremony for a special innovation and development zone located in the compound of a Tainan technological industrial park in southern Taiwan. Lu also encouraged Taiwan businesses to commit to research and development in the face of the challenges that lie ahead. Meanwhile, completion of the special zone's first construction is slated for the end of next year, by which time 60 hi-tech firms will open up shop there.
■ Charity
YWCA to help children
The YWCA Taipei chapter and the World Peace Prayer Society launched a campaign yesterday to help impoverished children in Malawi, calling for the public's assistance for educational development in the southeastern African country. Wang Kuei-jung (王圭容), wife of Foreign Affairs Minister Eugene Chien, is serving as the honorary chairwoman of the activity, in which the public has been asked to donate stationary and clothes for school children in Malawi, which is a diplomatic ally of Taiwan. Stressing that now is the time for Taiwan to give back to the international community for the assistance it has received in the past, Wang said it is more important to give lasting care to people in poorer countries. Malawian Ambassador to Taiwan Eunice Kazembe expressed her appreciation for the enthusiastic response from the Taiwan public and expressed the hope that school children in her country will be able to enjoy the same level of education as children in Taiwan do.
■ Crime
Former publisher detained
The former publisher of a defunct Kinmen newspaper was detained on the offshore island on Friday night on charges of spying for Beijing. The Kinmen High Court agreed to the prosecutor's request to take into custody Peng Chuei-ping (彭垂濱), who was publisher of the private Kinmen Evening News which was closed in September after running into heavy debt. Peng's wife Chen Hsiou-hsia (陳秀霞) who worked as the newspaper's president and general manager was also questioned by the prosecutor but was released on bail Friday night. According to the prosecutor's investigation, the Pengs are suspected of having over the past four or five years used their press credentials to wander freely around the fortified island to take photos and collect military information for Beijing in exchange for money which they put toward their cash-strapped newspaper.
■ Education
King Car to sponsor teachers
The King Car Education Foundation said yesterday that it will pay the travel costs and visa fees of 12 young American volunteers who will come to Taiwan to teach English for six months next January. The teachers will be selected by the Institute in Basic Life Principles, an US Christian organization. Minister of Education Huang Jung-tsun (黃榮村) said earlier this year that he looked forward to hiring more foreign English teachers for primary schools in remote areas, after restrictions on their recruitment and supervision were lifted. Agencies
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