■ Diplomacy
Academic denies HK posting
National Chi Nan University political science professor Byron Weng (翁松燃) denied yesterday that he had been appointed as Taiwan's new representative to Hong Kong. Weng, formerly a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and currently an adviser to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), denied a report carried in the Hong Kong Economic Journal yesterday that he had been appointed to replace Chang Liang-jen (張良任), managing director of the Chung Hwa Travel Service, Taiwan's de facto consulate in Hong Kong. In a telephone interview, Weng emphatically denied there was any truth to the report, saying, "There is absolutely no such thing [taking place]." Chang also denied the report, describing it as a fabrication. The Chung Hwa Travel Service is an agency under the control of the Mainland Affairs Council.
■ Health
Not too late to quit
Some may joke that it's never too late to start smoking, but for 89-year-old Huang He-ping (黃和平), it's never too late to quit. Huang is the oldest participant in Taipei's "quit and win" competition aimed at getting people to stop smoking. Huang said yesterday that as a smoker for the past 73 years, "I've quit smoking more than 300 times, but haven't succeeded yet in really stopping." He said that this time might be the one, given that there is a big cash prize as an incentive. Huang, who worked as a reporter and police officer when he was young, said the high pressure of the two jobs started him smoking. He used to smoke a pack and half of a day, and still smokes around a dozen cigarettes daily. "Quitting smoking is like writing an article, and one has to undergo some excruciating trials," Huang said, adding that the best way to quit smoking is to go to public places where you can't bother others with your habit. But the urge to smoke surfaces later, he added, when you get back home or go outdoors.
■ Foreign affairs
Caution urged in Philippines
Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, Wu Shin-hsing (吳新興), warned Taiwanese yesterday to avoid the Philippines following an attack on a building in Manila in which a foreign oil firm is located. Wu made the comment after suspected communist guerrillas fired a rocket-propelled grenade a day earlier at a building in the Makati business district in which oil firm Philipinas Shell Petroleum Corp is housed. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila is just a few meters from the building. Wu warned people not to visit the Philippines in the run-up to its May 10 presidential and general elections, saying that the political situation and public order have become increasingly unstable. Meanwhile, security measures in the buildings in which the Taiwan representative office and private staff residences are accommodated have been strengthened, he added.
■ Library science
Team visits Vatican
Council for Cultural Affairs Vice Chairman Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) and other officials visited the Vatican Museums and the Italian Culture Department yesterday to observe its documentation storage procedures. Wu and his group arrived in Rome on Saturday for a four-day visit. They will visit the Holy See's library to exchange views on secret filing before leaving for Germany today.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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