■ Diplomacy
Communique issued
The foreign ministers of Dominica, Grenada, Saint Christopher, and St. Vincent on Friday reiterated their strong support for Taiwan's bid to join international organizations. They made the pledge in a communique issued at the end of a conference attended by them and Taiwan Foreign Minister Eugene Chien (簡又新) in Kingstown, St. Vincent. They said the Republic of China on Taiwan has the legitimate right to join world organizations, particularly the UN and the World Health Organization. In the communique, the five countries also pledged to strengthen their cooperation in international politics.
■ Diplomacy
Yao calls for reform
Examination Yuan President Yao Chia-wen (姚嘉文) spoke in London on Friday saying that Taiwan should continue to strive for making its civil servants maintain neutrality in carrying out their administrative affairs. Yao, who is in London for a five-day visit aimed at studying the British civil servant training and pension systems, made the remarks in a symposium held at the University of London's School of Oriental and African Studies. He said Taiwan should try to dump the old tradition in which the affairs of the ruling party and those of the government are intertwined, calling for the government system to belong to the nation and not to any single political party.
■ War on terror
N Korean freighter held
The Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau yesterday asked that a North Korean freighter in the harbor in southern Taiwan be temporarily detained. The freighter Be Gae Bong, arrived in Kaohsiung Harbor Thursday from Bangkok, Thailand, to unload some 2,000 tonnes of aluminum powder. After being informed by US intelligence authorities that the freighter might be carrying a batch of dangerous chemicals which could be used as materials in the production of nuclear weapons, harbor officials boarded the vessel Friday to conduct a search.The ship is suspected of transporting about 1 tonne of hydrafil, or aluminum hydroxide compound, with North Korea as the final destination, Kaohsiung Harbor detained the vessel according to international trade regulations. Hydrafil, if combined with other chemicals, can be processed into alumina which can be used in making the outer shells of missiles.
■ Economics
Lin leads delegation
Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Yi-fu (林義夫) will leave for the US today at the head of a delegation to seek more trade opportunities for local companies. Lin will invite senior executives of noted US firms to attend an international trade fair set to open in Taipei Oct. 19 as well as try to attract them to launch new investment projects in Taiwan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said yesterday. During the week-long US visit, the group will host presentations on Taiwan investment regulations and general market trends for the biotechnology, telecommunications, information and digital industries, respectively, in various US cities. Group members will also pay courtesy calls at the headquarters of major US business groups to invite them to invest in Taiwan or to forge joint-venture deals with their Taiwan counterparts. The companies on the group's itinerary include General Electric, Corningware, Motorola, Gateway and Becton, Dickinson and Co.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese