■ 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.
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