■ April Fool's Day
Presidential Office targeted
Computer hackers in this country compromised the Web site of the Presidential Office to announce on behalf of the president that April Fools' Day would be a national holiday, local television said yesterday. The Web site of the office of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was found flashing the abrupt announcement late Friday, just several days ahead of April Fools' Day, a cable news channel said. The Presidential Office later said computer experts were ordered to fortify the firewall and set up other protection measures to prevent the Web site from being hacked into again.
■ Drought
Water levels rise 23cm
Recent rains have bought residents of northern Taiwan a reprieve from further water rationing measures, but just barely. Statistics released yesterday by the Feitsui Reservoir Administration showed that the water level of the reservoir -- the main provider for the greater Taipei area -- rose to 141.36m as of 1pm, from 141.13m at 7pm Friday after it had rained nearly 30mm -- the most in recent days -- near its water catchment area. Reservoir Admin-istration Director Kang Shih-fang (康世芳) said the rainfall is expected to help the reservoir take in some 5.4 million tonnes of water, about two-day's consumption for Taipei residents. Kang said the rainfall may postpone a second phase of water conservation measures.
■ Internet
Group seeks ratings system
A group of activists issued a joint statement yesterday calling for the development of a classification system for Web sites on the Internet. The group -- made up of the country's 12 Internet service providers, the private Taiwan Internet Association and officials from the Government Information Office, Ministry of Transportation and Communications and Ministry of Education -- said it will press for a classification system to prevent minors from being exposed to improper sites. Noting that pornographic Web sites attract many hits from teenaged boys and that 32 percent of the country's teenagers said they would like to know what Web sites are suitable for them, Cheng Chia-jun, president of the Taiwan Internet Association, said it is time to develop a classifi-cation system.
■ Recognition
Chapter changes name
Members of the Taiwan chapter of Kiwanis International yesterday passed a resolution to change the chapter's name from "Kiwanis International of Republic of China" to "Kiwanis International of Taiwan District." "Members of the Taiwan chapter agreed to settle for the name because it suggests no downgrading of Taiwan's status," said chapter spokesman Lin Hsuan-hung (林宣宏). Due to pressure from Beijing, Kiwanis International headquarters last December asked the Taiwan chapter to change its name, Lin said. Saying that if the chapter refused to have its name changed, headquarters would change the chapter's name on its own to "China Taipei" or "China Taiwan," Lin said that the chapter did not wish to repeat the experience of the Taiwan chapter of Lions Clubs International. "After all, the term `Taiwan' is better known to the international community than ROC, which is often confused with China," Lin said. The Taiwan chapter of the Lions Clubs International suffered a blow last April when its Chicago-based headquarters, due to pressure from Beijing, decided to change the chapter's name from "ROC Lions Club" to "China Taiwan Lions Club."
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition