■ Government
Web site taken to task
The Animal Industry Department (畜牧處) of the Council of Agriculture (COA) yesterday suggested that Taiwan's largest online-auction Web site, Yahoo Kimo, ban the online trading of live pets. The suggestion was made after the Life Conservationist Association (關懷生命協會) publicly condemned the Web site on Thursday. According to the association, more than 10,000 animals are auctioned on the site daily. Although it's legally groundless to ban online auctions of animals, Yahoo Kimo's major competitor, eBay, is banning the trading of any live animals and plants, animal hides, furs and specimens.
■ Cross-strait ties
Businessmen unite
A new association aimed at helping Taiwan's investors whose legitimate rights have been infringed upon in China was inaugurated in Taipei yesterday. Association founder Kao Wei-pang (高為邦) said he welcomes those who have fallen victim to Chinese business practices to join his organization and pool their resources in pushing Beijing to implement rule of law, punish corrupt officials and protect Taiwanese businessmen's legitimate rights and property. According to the results of years of survey and study, Kao said, more than 10,000 Taiwan businessmen, himself included, have seen their stakes in China-based firms encroached upon or usurped, none of whom have been able to obtain compensation through China's judicial system.
■ Government
City to levy fines for AC leaks
The Taipei City Government started slapping fines on companies and individuals whose air-conditioning systems drop water on the ground yesterday, city officials said. The latest rule, which comes with a mechanism to reward informants, also prompted hundreds, including those from outside Taipei, to flood the city's environmental hotline with telephone reports, the officials said. Under the latest order, a fine of up to NT$6,000 (US$171) will be given to any household or company that fails to improve its air conditioner water-dropping problem within seven days, the officials said.
■ Tourism
Landscape contest planned
The Tourism Bureau yesterday announced a plan to invite internationally renowned architects to join in a competition for landscape design for scenic spots and routes. Bureau officials have selected five scenic spots -- the northeastern coastline, Sun Moon Lake, Kenting National Park, Nanpin National Park in Hualien and Alishan National Park -- for the competition. The bureau's plan came one day after the Executive Yuan's Tourism Development and Promotion Committee concluded its meeting in Hualien.
■ Culture
Tchen attends Czech event
Council for Cultural Affairs Chairwoman Tchen Yu-chiou (陳郁秀) attended the inauguration of a monument marking the rehabilitation of a bridge in the Czech Republic city of Cesky Krumlov on Monday. Tchen said at the ceremony that she takes great delight in seeing the restoration of the Plastovy Bridge which was seriously damaged by floodwaters last August. The council donated US$20,000 toward the rehabilitation of the bridge. Cesky Krumlov is one of the UNESCO-selected world heritage sites and subject to special protection.
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