■ Society
Mausoleum park proposed
Two DPP legislators have proposed that the mausoleums for the late presidents Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and his son Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) be turned into a historic park. DPP legislators Trong Chai (蔡同榮) and Lin Chin-hsing (林進興) said in a press release that they have proposed that the Ministry of National Defense hand over the management of the adjacent mausoleums in Fuhsing Township, Taoyuan County, to the Tourism Bureau. Lin said that if the bureau took over the mausoleums' management, it would boost tourism. They also suggested that a park be set up in Tahsi, Fuhsing Township and that the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall should be renamed
the Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall.
■ Labor affairs
New rules target employers
In view of the high abscon-sion rate of some foreign workers, the Council of Labor Affairs has decided
to target the employers for the lax management of
their workers, officials said yesterday. They made the announcement to encourage employers not to neglect their responsibilities, as
the number of foreign laborers running away has reached 8,000. The officials said the measure was put in place April 1 and is not retroactive. Under the new regulations, employers of maids or care-givers will not be allowed to recruit or extend contracts if they
are found to have had two workers run away in the
past two years. In the case of the manufacturing, con-struction and fishery sectors, and medical-care institu-tions, if the absconding
level reaches a certain point, the employers will not be allowed to recruit more laborers or extend existing contracts for two years.
■ Travel
Ministry issues reminder
Ministry of Economic Affairs officials urged Taiwanese business travelers to pay attention to new security measures adopted by US airports aimed at preventing terrorist attacks. The US National Transportation Safety Board has recently announced new regulations concerning airport security checks under which customs officials can inspect luggage without warning and can break open locks if neces-sary, although they will put notification of the inspection in the luggage afterward.
■ Travel
MOFA probes Vietnam death
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday it is handling the case of busi-nessman Hsieh Teh-chou (謝德州) who died in Vietnam. Chen Shih-liang (陳士良), deputy director of the ministry's Asian-Pacific Affairs Department, said Hsieh's family was told of
his death on Friday. "Our representative office in Ho Chi Minh City has asked Vietnamese authorities not to move Hsieh's body before the arrival of his family," Chen said. Initial reports showed that Hsieh lost contact with his family after he traveled to Cambodia last month. The family learned Wednesday that Hsieh had been arrested by police in Ho Chi Minh City for allegedly entering Vietnam without proper travel papers.
■ Diplomacy
Praise from California
California Governor Gray Davis hailed Taiwan's economic achievement Friday and said his state should forge closer cooperative ties with the country. Davis made the remarks while meeting with two of Taiwan's represen-tatives stationed in his state after attending the 42nd California Prayer Breakfast.
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
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
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard