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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Society
Sighted masseurs opposed
People who are not visually impaired should be barred from engaging in the massage business so that those who are handicapped can earn a living, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lee Ming-hsien (李明憲) said at a news conference yesterday. Lee urged legislators to oppose an amendment to Article 37 of the Physically and Mentally Challenged Protection Law (身心障礙者保護法), which opens the massage business to sighted people. Lee said that very few job opportunities exist for the visually impaired, because the government has not helped to create other types of professions for them, nor has it invested enough to explore the contributions that they can make. A visually impaired man told the news conference that to be a masseur is technically the only option for visually impaired people to earn a living or support their families. He appealed to people who can see to show compassion, since they have many other ways to earning a living.

■ Transportation
THSRC carriages arrive
The first 12 train carriages for the high-speed railway arrived at Kaohsiung Harbor yesterday. The Japanese freighter SS Poseidon Triumph docked yesterday at Pier 74. The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) is scheduled to host a ceremony at the harbor today to debut the Japanese-made train cars. According to THSRC senior vice president Lin Tien-sung (林天送), the 12 carriages will make a test run on a test track to be completed soon. It is estimated that all 30 carriages will have arrived in Taiwan by September next year. The 345-km high-speed rail linking Taipei and Kaohsiung is scheduled to be inaugurated in October next year.

■ Diplomacy
Lu to visit Central America
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) will begin a state visit later this week to three Central American countries in a bid to consolidate ties with allies, the Presidential Office said yesterday. Officials said Lu will make a transit stop in Los Angeles on her way to Latin America either on Friday or Saturday. A spokesman said the final itinerary will be worked out soon. Taiwan Television Enterprise (TTV) said Lu would visit Las Vegas to inspect tourism and environmental protection facilities before flying to El Salvador to attend president-designate Tony Saca's inauguration on June 1. A spokesman said Lu will then visit Costa Rica and Guatemala.

■ Education
Fubon funds chair
The Fubon Group signed an agreement with the prestigious University of Tokyo yesterday to set up a Taiwan chair to study courses related to Taiwanese law. Fubon Group chairman Tsai Wan-tsai (蔡萬財) signed the agreement with Takeshi Sasaki, president of the University of Tokyo. Presidential Office adviser Hsu Shui-teh (許水德) and Taiwan's representative to Japan, Lo Fu-cheng (羅福全), witnessed the signing. The move follows in the footsteps of Waseda University, which has set up a Taiwan research institute. Tsai said that Taiwan and Japan have long and deep historical ties. However, he said, bilateral exchanges had not been satisfactory since World War II because of various factors. Tsai said he hoped that through the establishment of the Taiwan chair, exchanges between Taiwan and Japan would increase. Sasaki expressed his appreciation for Fubon's generosity.

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