■ Health
SARS pioneer book debuts
The top coordinator in the nation's campaign against SARS, Lee Ming-liang (李明亮), on Thursday presided over a ceremony at Rome's Capital Museum marking the launch of the Italian-language biography of Carlo Urbani, who was the first person to identify the SARS virus. Urbani, an expert on communicable diseases at the World Health Organization, died of the flu-like atypical pneumonia in Bangkok on March 29 last year. He was 47. The book, authored by Italian prize-winning writer Lucia Bellaspiga, gives a detailed and human account of how Urbani contributed his professional expertise to SARS identification and treatment in Asia and how he fought against the deadly virus during the crucial days prior to his death. Lee, chairman of the Carlo Urbani Memorial Foundation established in Taiwan last July, said the Chinese-language version of the biography is expected to be published in this country shortly. Addressing the biography debut ceremony, held at Rome's Capital Museum, Lee said that the book will provide a great inspiration to the younger generations around the world and that the Chinese-language version will let the vast population in the Chinese-language speaking communities learn about Urbani's spirit and teaching.
■ Society
BTCO issues warning
The British Trade and Cultural Office has issued a warning for British citizens to be aware of events here after last Saturday's presidential election. "Our advice to British residents is to avoid large public gatherings, in particular political rallies and demonstrations and observe developments in the local media," the office said in a statement. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely," said the statement. The statement was issued on the eve of a pan-blue camp rally that organizers say will attract 500,000 people today to Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office.
■ Health
Dengue system activated
The Department of Health (DOH) announced yesterday that the nation's dengue fever prevention mechanism has been activated amid outbreaks of the disease in Indonesia and other Southeast Asian countries. Under the mechanism, DOH officials said, arrivals from Southeast Asia who have developed a fever will undergo blood tests and be presented with free mosquito nets for use at home for a week. Dengue fever is a mosquito-transmitted disease. Yesterday, the DOH also invited officials from the Tourism Bureau, the Civil Aeronautics Administration, the Immigration Bureau, the Council of Labor Affairs, the Environmental Protection Bureau, health bureaus from 25 cities and counties around the country and major travel associations to discuss dengue fever-prevention measures. It was decided at the meeting that films featuring dengue fever prevention and control measures will be shown on all flights from and to Southeast Asian countries. At least 455 people have died from dengue fever in Indonesia so far this year, DOH officials said. According to the officials, Taiwan has not had a locally originated dengue fever case so far this year, but has tallied 17 imported cases, including seven from Indonesia, six from Vietnam, two from the Philippines, one each from Thailand and India.
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