■Accident
Five found dead at apartment
Four men and one woman employed at the same high technology company were found dead yesterday in their rented apartment in what authorities suspect was a case of carbon monoxide poisoning. The company, headquartered in the northern city of Chupei, was alerted yesterday morning when none of the five showed up for work. When police broke into the apartment, they found one man lying naked in the bathroom, the faucet still dripping. "The gas and water were still on [when the victims were found]," said prosecutor Chung Hsiao-ya of the Hsinchu District Court.
■ Crime
Su to get polygraph test
The Kaohsiung Prosecutor's Office plans to give a polygraph test to Su Hui-cheng (蘇惠珍), vice chairman and principal shareholder of the Zanadau Development Corp, as investigators have failed to make the bribery suspect reveal details of a questionable bank loan she obtained in 1994. Su was taken into custody by the Kaohsiung District Court Dec. 30 after being interrogated by prosecutors for 10 hours for allegedly acquiring illegal bank loans for a Zanadau land development project through bribery, fraud and profiteering. According to the prosecutor's office, between June and July 1994, Su used NT$390 million to acquire several pieces of farmland in Kaohsiung County.
■ Military
China protests joint drill
China protested yesterday against US plans to participate in Taiwan's biggest annual military exercises for the first time since 1979, saying such action "damages China-US relations." "We have read relevant reports from the media and I want to point out here that any kind of military cooperation or exchange between Taiwan and the US is a violation of the three Sino-US joint communiques and also damages China-US relations," foreign ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue (章啟月) said. "The Chinese side has already made solemn representation to the US side urging it to abide by its commitment made to the Chinese side on the question of Taiwan and stop any military exchange with Taiwan." Taiwan Vice Defense Minister Chen Chao-min (陳肇敏) last week confirmed a media report that US military personnel would take part in the Han Kuang 19 exercise.
■ Politics
Lien unveils platform
Opposition KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) outlined yesterday for the first time the party's platform for the 2004 presidential election, which envisions eight key development directions for "remaking Taiwan." Lien divulged his party's platform, codenamed "Project Happiness 2004," in an exclusive interview with Japan's Mainichi Shimbun daily. According to Lien, Taiwan has gradually lost its competitive edge since its first-ever peaceful transition of power between different political parties more than two years ago. Lien said the 2004 presidential election has become a crunch time for the opposition party to reverse the nation's current downward trend. "Project Happiness 2004" offers policy initiatives in eight major categories -- ensuring political stability, establishing what he called "quality democracy," cultivating peaceful cross-strait relations, upgrading government efficiency, boosting morale in the civil service, revitalizing the economy, promoting cultural development and enhancing social security.
Agencies
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it