■ Health
DOH plans new bureaus
The Department of Health yesterday proposed amend-ments to its organizational statute in order to establish two new bureaus, one for international cooperation and one for medical research and development. Director General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) said last year's SARS outbreak proved the necessity of international communication in disease prevention. He said an international cooperation bureau would also help further the nation's bid to join the World Health Organization. The depart-ment also wants to convert its central Taiwan office into a medical research and development bureau focusing on special issues such as aborigine health and psychiatric treatment. The proposed amendments to the Organic Law of the Department of Health (衛生署組織法) must first be reviewed by the legislature's Organic Laws and Statutes Committee before they can be placed on the legislative agenda.
■ Water
Limits may be lifted
If as much rain falls this month as has fallen in previous Marches, the government will consider lifting the first-phase water restrictions in the north, Water Resources Agency Director Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) said yesterday. Thanks to three straight days of rain, the Feitsui Reservoir -- the major source of water for the greater Taipei area -- has received 72mm of rainfall this month, while the Shihmen Reservoir, the main source for the Taoyuan area -- has received 45mm, Chen said. He said that the rainfall received by the two reservoirs has reached one-third of the average level for the same period in previous years.
■ Cross-strait ties
Chinese repatriated
Sixteen Chinese who were seized earlier this year for illegally entering Kinmen, smuggling contraband or poaching were repatriated yesterday on two Chinese fishing boats. Most of the nine men and seven women are from Xiamen. Kinmen coast guard authorities said they hope the Immigration Bureau will set up a special detention center on the island as soon as possible to accommodate illegal Chinese immigrants and handle repatriation work. "Overcrowding has become a major headache as we have only limited space to accommodate detained illegal immigrants," a coast guard official said, adding that 22 detainees are being held at Kinmen coast guard headquarters awaiting repatriation.
■ Environment
Full recycling the goal
Cabinet Secretary-General Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said the govern-ment hopes that with more recycling some of the nation's cities can make it onto the list of the top five cleanest cities in the world. Liu made the remarks when she presided over a seminar in Taichung. Liu said Premier Yu Shyi-kun hoped that all government agencies will work toward the Environ-mental Protection Admin-istration's goal of making this year a "full recycling and zero waste-dumping year." Liu said that in the 1960s and 1970s it was fairly common to see large amounts of garbage dumped along rivers. But recycling efforts have reduced such dumping. She said the focus now must be on reducing the amount of garbage generated and that partial recycling will be expanded to help create cleaner cities. Liu said if everyone helped there would be a chance for some cities to make it onto the clean-city list.
■ Government
Chen touts achievements
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) touted the economic achievements of his administration yesterday and vowed in his online newspaper to turn the island into the most advanced country in Asia. Describing himself "a gardener entrusted with the task of taking care of the garden four years ago, " Chen said his administration has forced the country's loss-making banking industry to shed bad loans. Over the last four years, Chen said, the banking industry has gotten rid of NT$1.2 trillion in non-performing loans and has brought the average bad-loan ratio down to a healthier 4.33 percent.
■ Trade
24 trade fairs scheduled
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will commission the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) to take part in 24 international trade fairs this year, and there will be two such events this month, Colvin Liu (劉榮座), director of the ministry's Department of Economic and Trade Affairs, said yesterday.Liu said that to promote trade through diplomacy, and cement diplomacy through trade, the ministry has commissioned TAITRA to sponsor or take part in international trade fairs every year. He said that the participation will strengthen the diplomatic and trade relations between Taiwan and its allies, and will help Taiwanese businesspeople seeking trade opportunities overseas. Liu said that TAITRA is attending a trade fair in Panama this week and that a Republic of China Trade Fair 2004 is being held in Honduras from March 11-14. He said that 30,000 people attended the trade fair in Panama last year and Taiwanese businesspeople secured business worth US$16.91 million. At the trade fair in Honduras last year, 6,000 people attended and transactions amounted to US$6.83 million, Liu said.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all