■Family
Woman seeks real mom
PHOTO:TAIPEI TIMES
An American citizen who was born to a Taiwanese mother 31 years ago arrived in Taiwan recently to look for her biological mother.
Niki Lin Lundquist, accompanied by People First Party Legislator Pang Chien-kuo, said at a press conference that she wants to meet her real mother and say "I love you" to her. Lundquist said she thinks her mother's name may include a Chinese character pronounced as "Yang" and that she probably once lived in Miaoli County in northern Taiwan. According to Pang, Niki was born out of wedlock to a Taiwanese woman and a US soldier sometime in 1971. The young mother gave up the infant not long after giving birth at a nursery center run by an Order of St. Benedict church in Tamshui. The baby girl was then adopted by an American military couple.
■ Diplomacy
Taiwan offers support
Taiwan will support a US offensive against Iraq, as long as the antiterrorism action is sanctioned by the international community, particularly the UN, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) said yesterday. Chien was speaking at the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs Committee on the tension between the US and Iraq. The foreign minister emphasized, however, that Taiwan's armed forces would not take part in any military action in the event of a conflict in the Middle East given Taiwan's existing situation in the international community. Taiwan would probably at most render humanitarian relief aid to areas beyond the war zones after any conflict.
■ Culture
Video promotes Hakka arts
The Executive Yuan's Council for Hakka Affairs launched Hakka, Craftsmanship, Master Workers -- A DVD Documentary yesterday as it geared up to preserve traditional Hakka arts. The 120-minute long documentary covers four themes -- performing arts, rituals and ceremonies, folk crafts and delicacies; it further divides Hakka traditional arts into 16 categories. The video gives a biography of each leading master of the traditional arts and is presented in Mandarin, Hakka and English.
■ Leadership
First lady honored
First lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) yesterday received an international leadership award presented by the Canadian organizing committee for the International Day for Disabled Persons in recognition of her contributions to Taiwan's democratization. ROC Representative to Canada Chen Tong-pi presented the International Excellence in Leadership Award to Wu on behalf of the Canadian committee in a ceremony held at the Presidential Office. The Canadian organizing committee presented the award as part of the celebrations of the 10th UN-initiated International Day for Disabled Persons on Dec. 3. The first lady's cousin, Wu Ching-yu, traveled to Ottawa at that time to received the award on her behalf.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
In a historic first, Taiwanese officials participated in this year’s Riga Strategic Communications Dialogue in Latvia from Wednesday to Friday last week, which debuted a breakout session focused on Taiwan The event organizer, the NATO Strategic Communications Center of Excellence, displayed Taiwan’s national flag and the officials’ formal titles on their Web site. Taiwanese attendees included National Security Council (NSC) Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) and deputy head of the Taipei Representative Office in the UK, Chiang Ya-chi (江雅綺). In addition to the session discussing Taiwan titled “Taiwan: Navigating Strategic Communication in a Tense Environment,” the dialogue also included sessions
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