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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Education
Delegation performs well
Taiwan's delegation at the 2003 International Olympiad in Informatics has performed well, with the four contestants winning one gold medal, one silver and one bronze at the annual event. Taiwan sent four high school students to this year's event, which is an international computer science competition for high school students. The 2003 International Olympiad in Informatics was held in the US and ended yesterday. Among the Taiwan contestants, Hou Kun-pan (侯昆邦) from Taipei Municipal Chien-Kuo High School won a gold medal, Lin Tai-hsu (林泰旭) a silver and Tsai Chen-yang (蔡政洋) a bronze in the competition, in which more than 290 contestants from 77 countries participated.

■ Crime
Four busted for gun trading
Three men and a woman were arrested in the southern county of Pingtung yesterday on charges of illegal firearms trading, police said. Also seized in the midnight raid on a surveillance-monitoring equipment company were 69 standard and modified guns, a large amount of ammunition and equipment for gun modification. Police said they were tipped off in March this year that two brothers, identified as Wang Jen-hung (王仁宏), 28, and Wang Jen-chieh (王仁傑), 26, had illegally traded in firearms. After more than five months of close monitoring, police decided to raid the surveillance equipment shop run by the Wangs late last night. The Wangs admitted that they had imported air guns and parts for modifying them into rifles for sale at NT$150,000 apiece. To avoid police monitoring, the Wangs sold firearms through the Internet, using e-mail for trading terms negotiations. The Wangs have yet to explain from where they had imported the air guns. Two staff members of the Wangs' company, including a man and a woman, were also arrested on charges of assisting in the illegal trade.

■ Diplomacy
Ma visits Phoenix
Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) led a delegation to visit Phoenix, Arizona, on Friday, meeting with Phoenix Mayor Skip Rimsza and Taiwanese students. Ma was accompanied by Jason Yuan (袁健生), director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles, to call on Mayor Rimsza. As Taipei and Phoenix have long been sister cities, Rimsza hosted a luncheon for Ma and his delegation and accompanied him to visit the capital city's baseball stadium, Bank One Field, in the afternoon. Mayor Ma took part in the inauguration of a Taiwanese student organization in the evening, speaking to more than 200 Taiwan students from 26 states from the Taiwan Future Development Association. Ma urged the students to nurture mercy toward others and concern about their country, learn the true meaning of freedom, democracy and party politics to contribute to Taiwan's democratic development.

■ Diplomacy
No concern over Panama
Taiwan brushed off reports that an upcoming visit to China by Panamanian First Vice President Arturo Vallarino would cost the island another diplomatic ally. Taiwan Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said she was not surprised at China's fresh attempt to have Panama switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing. "This move of Beijing is not surprising at all. This has been the way it is over the last 50 years," Lu said on Friday.

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