■Travel
More tourists head to Macau
With the danger of SARS diminishing, the number of Taiwanese visitors to Macau has been increasing since early June, according to statistics released yesterday by the Macao authorities. The statistics show that the daily number of Taiwanese travelers to Macau, excluding those who only made a stopover in Macau en route to China, averaged 55 between June 9 and June 20, an increase of 275 percent over the average for the period between April 30 and June 9, at the height of SARS outbreak Macau authorities said they believe the number of Taiwanese travelers to Macau will increase more quickly in July and August. A total of 1.27 million Taiwan visitors came to Macau last year, averaging 3,480 per day.
■ Typhoons
Forecasters get new gear
Meteorology experts are expected to begin monitoring typhoons this summer with new cutting-edge technology and equipment obtained from the US. Under a typhoon research program financed by the National Science Council, meteorologists are expected to be able to fly aboard a specially designed aircraft near approaching typhoons, where they will shoot an "atmospheric sonde," or "radiosonde" observation gear, into the eye of the typhoon to collect data that will give the scientists vital information about the typhoon, said Wu Chun-chieh (吳俊傑) of National Taiwan University, which is managing the program. The NSC program sent four experts to a hurricane research center under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the US at the end of last year for a two-month training session, according to Wu. The program, targeting at understanding the dynamic theory of typhoons, will help improve the accuracy of typhoon and rainfall forecasts and will raise Taiwan's prestige in typhoon research, Wu added.
■ Railways
Electrification project ends
The electrification project for the North-Link Railway between Ilan and Hualien in eastern Taiwan will be completed on Wednesday, an official of the Taiwan Railway Administration (TRA) said yesterday. He said that, after the project is completed, the transportation capacity of the 88km railway will increase by more than 30 percent and the time to travel between Taipei and Hualien by express train will be reduced from three hours to two and a half hours. The electrification project is part of TRA's plan to improve the eastern line. The plan will be completed by the end of next year, he added.
■ Security
Restricted airspace violated
A civilian helicopter flew through restricted airspace near the Presidential Office in the second such incident in four days, officials said yesterday. The Bell helicopter flew through the airspace of the Presidential Office at 4:56pm on Saturday after it took off from Sungshan Airport en route to the southern city of Kaohsiung, television news reports said. The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) confirmed the report. "The CAA held two meetings today to investigate the event," a CAA official said, without providing details. A Presidential Office spokesman said: "The Presidential Office took the two events very seriously and asked government agencies to beef up security while looking into the two events." The CAA on Thursday suspended an airport controller after a domestic passenger aircraft flew close to the restricted airspace near the Presidential Office.
Agencies
■Entertainment
TTV selects new anchor
TTV has chosen Berkeley, California native Josi Chow (周季薇) to be its new English-language anchor. The 26-year old Chow will host the Taiwan Outlook English news program weekday mornings from 6am to 6:30am. Chow has a bachelor's degree in economics according to a press release from the station. The release also said that Chow did not study journalism but has been "studying all kinds of English newspapers ... and is working hard to become a professional." According to the press release, Chow said "I'm so nervous and excited."
■ Politics
Hualien race off to start
The KMT will finalize its recommended candidate for the upcoming Hualien County commissioner by-election this week, party officials said yesterday. The issue will be discussed at the Central Standing Committee meeting on Wednesday, KMT Secretary-General Lin Fong-cheng (林豐正) said. Officials from both the KMT and the PFP have said the two parties will field a joint ticket. The KMT is seeking former Cabinet secretary-general Hsieh Shen-shan (謝深山) to run, but a number of other hopefuls are also jockeying for candidacy, including former Hualien County commissioner Wu Kuo-tung (吳國棟) and Liu Chao-eh (劉詔娥), widow of the late commissioner Chang Fu-hsing (張福興). On the PFP's side, Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁) has also vowed to run.
■ Environment
Heat wave on the way
Taiwan will have hot weather throughout the week, with temperatures rising as high as 34℃, the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
Staff writer
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
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