■Health
Japan reaffirms support
Japanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Yoriko Kawaguchi reiterated yesterday Tokyo's support for Taiwan's participation in all activities of the World Health Organization (WHO) as an observer. Kawaguchi's comment came after the steering committee of the World Health Assembly (WHA) refused to put Taiwan's bid for observer status on the agenda. "Japan and Taiwan have shared close economic and personnel exchanges, so the Japanese government remains firm in its stance regarding the island country's bid to participate in all WHA activities as an observer," Kawaguchi told a news conference. Speaking at the WHA meeting, Japanese Vice Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Yoshio Kimura said a certain country has not obtained substantive assistance from the WHO in its fight against SARS, thus posing a great impact on its neighboring countries, including Japan.
■ Diplomacy
Africa Day event postponed
The African Day celebration originally scheduled for Friday evening has been postponed in light of the SARS outbreak in the country, according to Ambassador John Cummings of Liberia. The annual event was scheduled to be held at the Grand Formosa Regent in Taipei to commemorate the freedom and unity of African states. "We thank you [invited guests] for your kind understanding and please accept the assurance of our highest consideration," said Malawi Ambassador Eunice Kazembe, chairperson of the African Missions, in a statement. The event will be rescheduled depending on the development of the SARS outbreak, the organizers added.
■ Diplomacy
Envoy set for new role
National policy adviser Lee Tsai-fang (李在方), tipped as the new representative to South Korea, is due to sworn in tomorrow afternoon before taking up his post in Seoul by the end of this month, sources at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. "I'll leave for Seoul by the end of this month," Lee said prior to a round of intensive meetings at the ministry yesterday afternoon. His predecessor in Seoul, Lee Chung-ru (李宗儒), resigned last month and has been tipped as the new director-general of the ministry's Department of African affairs, the ministry said.
■ Politics
Fan Kuang-chun takes over
Provincial Governor Fan Kuang-chun (范光群) will serve as acting commissioner of Hualien County until a new government chief is elected in three months, Premier Yu Shyi-kun announced yesterday. Yu made the announcement during a visit to the eastern county to pay his respects to Hualien Commissioner Chang Fu-hsing (張福興) who died of lung cancer on Sunday. "As Fan will fulfill the functions of office on a provisional basis, there will not be any major policy shifts nor personnel changes during his stint," Yu said, adding that Fan's main missions will be handling by-election affairs and overseeing the prevention of SARS. Under the terms of the law, a by-election must be held in three months to elect a new commissioner to serve out the tenure left by Chang. Chang took office on Dec. 20, 2001 for a four-year term.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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