■ Tourism
Travel expected to increase
Travel activity is expected to pick up significantly after yesterday's heated mayoral and city council elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung conclude, according to tourism industry sources. Local travel agents have placed much of the blame for the slow business they have been experiencing recently on the elections, saying that over the past several days, many Taiwanese concerned about the expected tight races have decided to stay at home until after the elections. Some tourist agencies complained that they haven't had a single group travel abroad over the past 10 days and that many clients have been booking plane tickets or travel packages for the days after the election and before the Christmas vacation when ticket prices will increase, especially on the most popular routes such as to New Zealand or Australia.
■ Indigenous people
Taipei to host conference
The Council of Indigenous Peoples has invited government officials and scholars from countries in the vast Pacific and southeast Asia to attend the two-day Assembly of Austronesian Leaders to be held in Taipei next week. A spokesman of the council said that Taiwan's indigenous peoples are members of the Austronesian family, which has a total population of over 280 million in the world. It is expected that the two-day assembly starting on Monday will help Austronesian peoples to establish contacts and grass-roots cooperation. Tribal leaders and government officials from Fiji, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Australia, New Zealand, Palau, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Hawaii, Vanuatu, and Canada will attend the discussions on the preservation of cultural heritages and related challenges.
■ Crime
Murder suspects arrested
Police in Taipei arrested two suspects in connection with the murder of Yuan Wei-cheng (袁維城), vice chairman of the Taipei Junior Chamber (台北市青商會), late Friday night, Chinese-language media reported yesterday. Police from the Wenshan Precinct under the Taipei City Police Department arrested Lu Min-wei (呂旻蔚), 30, and Chen Hsi-ta (陳錫達), 25, at their homes in Taipei's Mucha District in relation to the case, in which Yuan was kidnapped, robbed and then burnt to death. According to the police, Lu is a former employee of Yuan's. On Nov. 27, the two suspects invited Yuan for a meal in order to kidnap the 36-year-old businessman. According to police, they tortured Yuan for his ATM card and PIN number, which they used to withdraw NT$150,000 from his account. The suspects, both unemployed, then allegedly tied the victim in his car and burned him to death. Yuan's body and vehicle were found in Mucha on Nov. 30.
■ Foreign relations
Nicaraguan minister to visit
Nicaraguan Agriculture and Forestry Minister Jose Augusto Navarro Flores will arrive in Taipei on Monday for a five-day visit. Accompanied by Luis Mejia, a section chief of the ministry, Navarro will meet Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Tu Chu-sheng (杜筑生), Council of Agriculture Chairman Lee Chin-lung (李金龍) and other high-ranking officials. The visitors will also tour the council's Livestock Research Institute and its Taoyuan District Agricultural Improvement Station, the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Taipei World Trade Center and other economic and cultural establishments. They are scheduled to leave Taiwan on Friday.
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