■ Diplomcay
Ma visits Hawaii
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) arrived in Honolulu, Hawaii, on Friday morning for a four-day visit. Ma called on Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle, exchanging views with her on ways to promote exchanges of visitors between Taipei and Hawaii. Lingle, who visited Taipei and met with Ma in December 2001 before she took her job at the state capital, told the mayor she was impressed with Taipei's infrastructure. Before meeting Lingle, Ma talked with Hawaii's tourism chief Tony Vericella over breakfast on the possibility of opening direct flights between Taipei and Honolulu.
■ Piracy
Fishermen issued warning
The government has declared Indonesian waters a "highly dangerous zone" after an attack on a Taiwanese boat by pirates or the boat's Indonesian crew, a local newspaper reported yesterday. "Since last year, Indonesian pirates have been targeting Taiwan fishing boats, so Taiwan fishing boats should keep away from Indonesian waters," the Fisheries Administration was quoted as saying in the report. There are about 600 Taiwanese fishing vessels catching tuna in Indonesian waters, but they can move to other fishing grounds like the Marshall Islands, Malaysia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, the paper said. The Fisheries Administration issued the warning because several Taiwanese boats have been attacked in Indonesian waters. The latest case was the High Aim No. 6, which left Taiwan Oct. 31 but was found drifting without crew off West Australia on Jan. 6. The 65-tonne, 20m boat carried Taiwanese captain Chen Tai-cheng (陳泰成) and chief engineer Lin Chung-li (林中立) and a 10-person Indonesian crew. The last call Lin made to his family on his mobile phone was on Nov. 16.
■ Health
Diabetes library opens
The nation's first library specializing on diabetes was scheduled to open in Taipei yesterday. The library, run by the non-profit Taiwan Association for Diabetics, has gathered books and periodicals about diabetes. It will also hold seminars to raise the public's awareness about the disease which has plagued more than 1 million Taiwanese and ranks as the fifth leading cause of death nationwide, said an association official. Diabetics need to watch their diet and abstain from foods that are high in oil or sugar content. With proper treatment, many diabetics can lead a healthy, normal life, the official said. The official added the library will help diabetics and their families in facing the disease.
■ Exhibitions
Jade show set to start
The 2003 Taipei Collectors' Exhibition of Ancient Jade will be held in Taipei from Monday to April 19 with some 100 classic articles from private collections set to be on display. The three-month exhibition, to be held at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, is being organized by the Ancient Jade Collectors Association of Taiwan. The organizers said that articles to be displayed include neolithic works of the Hongshan Civilization, which developed in eastern China some 6,000 years ago. The exhibition will also feature articles from different periods in Chinese history, ranging from the Hongshan Civilization to the Ching Dynasty (1644-1912), they added.Agencies
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