■ TransportationPort for Taoyuan possible
Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that Taoyuan County has the potential to become a free-trade port area. Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for a road in Taoyuan City, Yu said that since the nation's international airport is in the county and a new road system is under development, circumstances could provide the catalyst for the eventual construction of a free-trade port. Taoyuan might also be included in the government's first project to build a new hub for international air and sea transportation, Yu said, but did not elaborate.
■ Drugs
Thais arrest six Taiwanese
Thai police said yesterday they have arrested six Taiwanese men and seized nearly 12kg of heroin from them. The suspects have been charged with possession of drugs with the intent to sell, which is punishable by death. Four of the men were arrested at a highway toll booth in Chonburi Province, 70km south of Bangkok. They had hidden 11.2kg of heroin in boxes of cosmetics, police said in a statement. It said police arrested the fifth man near the Bangkok apartment building where the six were residing. The sixth man was arrested in Bangkok as he was fleeing authorities with an additional 700g of heroin. All arrests occurred Sunday, the statement said.
■ Festival
Taipei race dates set
The 2003 Taipei International Dragon Boat Race Championship will be held at the riverside sports park along the Keelung River in Taipei from May 31 to June 4. An official of the Bureau of Education of the Taipei City Government said yesterday that more than 100 local and foreign teams are expected to take part in the race. Twenty-seven local teams and 51 foreign teams have decided to take part in the race. The foreign teams that have shown interest in the race come from the US, Japan, the Philippines, South Africa, Thailand and Hong Kong. Registration for the race will end on April 25. More information on the race can be found on the board's Web site (http://dragon2003.nihs.tp.edu.tw).
■ Investment
Ma to lobby US firms
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will visit the US in June to woo US-based high-technology companies to locate their Asian headquarters in Taipei. Ma will travel with Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆), deputy convener of Taipei City's Economic Development Committee, and Wu Hui-mei (吳慧美), executive director of the committee. They are expected to arrive on June 4 and spend nine days meeting executives of high-tech companies across the US to ask them to establish their regional research and development or business operational centers in Taipei.
■ Iraq
Aid plan developed
Taiwan will work through a foundation promoted by President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to take part in Iraq's post-war reconstruction, an official of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. Vice Foreign Minister Kau Ying-mao made the remarks when he was reporting on the purpose and operation of the Democracy Foundation of Taiwan to legislators of the ruling DPP. One legislator said that Taiwan should work with similar organizations of other countries, such as the US-based National Endowment for Democracy and Canada's International Centre for Human Rights and Democratic Development, to create a network to help with reconstruction work in Iraq.
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