Peace Boat, a Japan-based non-governmental organization (NGO) known for its efforts to promote world peace through luxury liner cruises, is kicking off its 46th Peace Voyage with Taiwan as its first stop, the organization's representatives said at a press conference yesterday.
The trip is being sponsored in Taiwan by the Peacetime Foundation. Peace Boat is known for its educational global sailing voyages, on which passengers promote messages of peace and interact with local NGOs and people to increase collaboration for peace worldwide.
This summer's three-month trip will mark the 46th Peace Boat global voyage since the organization's founding in 1983. The trip's title is "Olympic Truce 2004," reflecting the organization's hope of bringing an end to conflict around the world.
Historically, explained Peace Boat executive committee member Mari Kushibuchi, the original Olympics were a time when all the Hellenic nations came together in a truce, and all conflict between the countries was suspended for the duration of the games.
With this voyage, Kushibuchi said, the organization hopes to inspire people to put an end to violence, in the spirit of the ancient Olympic games.
"There has been a great amount of violence in the world recently, with the constant battling in Iraq and in Asia.
"We hope this voyage can spread a message of hope and reconciliation," she said.
Taiwan was chosen as the first stop of the voyage because of its importance to the stability of Asia, said Kushibuchi.
"The state of the relationship between Taiwan and China has a strong impact on peace in Southeast Asia. We do not believe that it is reasonable to use military force to invade Taiwan, and we encourage non-profit organizations in Taiwan and in the region to promote peaceful solutions," said Kushibuchi.
Both Peace Boat and Peacetime Foundation representatives stressed that NGOs have an important role to play.
"Taiwan's hands are tied when it comes to foreign and cross-strait relations politically, but NGOs have a lot of power, because our position is more flexible," said Peacetime Foundation executive director Chien Hsi-chieh.
Peace Boat decided to work with the Peacetime Foundation because of their similar pacifist goals, the groups said.
Taiwanese scientists have engineered plants that can capture about 50 percent more carbon dioxide and produce more than twice as many seeds as unmodified plants, a breakthrough they hope could one day help mitigate global warming and grow more food staples such as rice. If applied to major food crops, the new system could cut carbon emissions and raise yields “without additional equipment or labor costs,” Academia Sinica researcher and lead author the study Lu Kuan-jen (呂冠箴) said. Academia Sinica president James Liao (廖俊智) said that as humans emit 9.6 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide compared with the 220 billion tonnes absorbed
The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Wanda-Zhonghe Line is 81.7 percent complete, with public opening targeted for the end of 2027, New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) said today. Surrounding roads are to be open to the public by the end of next year, Hou said during an inspection of construction progress. The 9.5km line, featuring nine underground stations and one depot, is expected to connect Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall Station to Chukuang Station in New Taipei City’s Jhonghe District (中和). All 18 tunnels for the line are complete, while the main structures of the stations and depot are mostly finished, he
Taipei is to implement widespread road closures around Taipei 101 on Friday to make way for large crowds during the Double Ten National Day celebration, the Taipei Department of Transportation said. A four-minute fireworks display is to be launched from the skyscraper, along with a performance by 500 drones flying in formation above the nearby Nanshan A21 site, starting at 10pm. Vehicle restrictions would occur in phases, they said. From 5pm to 9pm, inner lanes of Songshou Road between Taipei City Hall and Taipei 101 are to be closed, with only the outer lanes remaining open. Between 9pm and 9:40pm, the section is
China’s plan to deploy a new hypersonic ballistic missile at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Rocket Force (PLARF) base near Taiwan likely targets US airbases and ships in the western Pacific, but it would also present new threats to Taiwan, defense experts said. The New York Times — citing a US Department of Defense report from last year on China’s military power — on Monday reported in an article titled “The missiles threatening Taiwan” that China has stockpiled 3,500 missiles, 1.5 times more than four years earlier. Although it is unclear how many of those missiles were targeting Taiwan, the newspaper reported
RSS