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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Illegal Labor
Chinese woman busted
A Chinese woman married to a Taiwanese man was taken into custody yesterday in downtown Kaohsiung for working illegally, according to law enforcement authorities. The woman was discovered to be working illegally when Kaohsiung police raided a shop allegedly selling bootleg brand-name clothing. Police said they found nearly 2,400 counterfeit pairs of brand-name jeans and other items of clothing. The haul is believed to have a street value of around NT$25 million (US$749,000). The woman, surnamed Tan, 40, is from Hunan province. She was working at the store as a saleswoman. She was taken along with the shop owner to a nearby police station for questioning. Tan did not have a work permit and police said that she will be deported soon.

■ Society
Park officials await word
Taroko National Park officials yesterday said that they hoped National Taiwan Normal University graduate student Kuo Cheng-yan (郭正彥) will let them know as soon as possible whether he is planning to leave the Chilai mountains. While the Ministry of Education has said it basically supports Kuo staying on for his research work as long as his food and equipment are sufficient, Kuo's advisor and university authorities have demanded that he leave the mountains. Park director Huang Wen-ching (黃文卿) said the university requested a military rescue helicopter pick Kuo up. Huang said if Kuo is willing to leave the mountains, officials hope he will explain to the public why he insisted on staying in the mountains after his companions were rescued last week.

■ Health
COA reassures consumers
The Council of Agriculture yesterday assured consumers that cooked poultry meat is safe to eat, and said it will ask countries which have stopped importing poultry from Taiwan to drop their bans. "We want to emphasize that the weaker strain of the bird flu can not be transmitted to humans. And since that virus is sensitive to heat, well-cooked poultry meat is safe for consumption," the council said in a statement. The council said the government will provide loans to poultry farmers and exporters to tide them over the difficult period, and will ask Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Brazil to lift the ban on poultry imports from Taiwan. In the past month, more than 60,000 chickens were slaughtered after some chickens died mysteriously. The council insists the chickens died from a combination of Newcastle disease, bronchitis, cold weather and H5N2 -- a weaker strain of H5N1. Ten-thousand ducks on one farm were also killed after test results showed that a batch of ducks sold at a Taipei market last December tested positive for H5N2.

■ Weather
Low temperatures expected
Temperatures will drop tomorrow with a strong cold front approaching from China, the Central Weather Bureau (CWB) said yesterday. Temperatures in northern Taiwan are expected to range between 10?C and 15?C. Heavy rain is also predicted for Monday through Thursday. The CWB said that high mountain areas like Hohuan Mountain (合歡山) and Jade Mountain (玉山) have a fair chance of snow. With outdoor activities surrounding the traditional Lantern Festival scheduled for Thursday, the CWB urged participants to carry umbrellas and wear rain gear.

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