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Chen to use ROCSAT-2 to practice satellite diplomacy

President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who will travel to Central and South America late this month to visit Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the region, has informed his staff that he hopes to present each head of state he visits with an image of his or her hometown -- taken from the ROCSAT-2 satellite.

Also known as Formosa 2, the ROCSAT-2 satellite is the first highly analytical remote-measurement satellite under the nation's full control.

It transmitted an aerial photo of Chen's hometown of Kuantien, Tainan County, on July 16.

The team in charge of the satellite presented the photo to Chen at the Presidential Office on the morning of July 19.

"When the president received this clear photograph of his hometown, he was extremely moved and he later told the staff, `Good things should be shared with one's good friends.' So he hopes that ROCSAT-2 can take pictures of the hometowns of the heads of state of our diplomatic allies so that he can give them as presents during the upcoming state visits," a presidential aide said.

Chen has repeatedly praised the satellite team for its five years of hard, patient and continuous work, saying that the team had overcome many obstacles to ultimately achieve its goals.

A Presidential Office official said that, because the idea to take pictures of the hometowns of heads of state had originated with the president, and such photographs would have no military or espionage purposes, such photographs would not be likely to be misinterpreted.

"The president mostly hopes that the success of ROCSAT-2, apart from showcasing Taiwan's technological advances, can help move foreign relations forward," the official said.

However, Chen Wen-tsung (陳文宗), Presidential Office spokesman, said that carrying out the president's idea would require further discussion, and that therefore it was not convenient to elaborate for the time being. But he also stressed that in the course of the four trips that Chen Shui-bian had made to visit diplomatic allies during the past four years -- whether to Africa or Latin America -- heads of state had taken Chen Shui-bian to visit their hometowns.

Chen Wen-tsung said that during Chen Shui-bian's visit to Africa in 2002, the president of Malawi had arranged for Taiwan's delegation to spend most of its time in his hometown -- where there was a splendid palace in which most official business was conducted. Chen Wen-tsung also said that when Chen Shui-bian visited Panama last year for the country's centennial independence celebration, Panamanian President Mireya Elisa Moscoso organized a one-day trip to visit her hometown -- but due to a domestic situation, Chen Shui-bian cancelled the visit and left Panama a day earlier than scheduled.

"Obviously, special feelings are reserved for one's hometown, which is no less than the capital city as far as the heads of state of many of Taiwan's allies are concerned," said Liu Shih-chuang (劉世忠), a member of Chen Shiu-bian's staff.

"So the president hopes, through ROCSAT-2, to be able to give these heads of state a special satellite image," Liu said.

Lee Luo-chuan (李羅權), director of the National Space Program Office, said that the president's idea was feasible.

He said that because the satellite orbits the earth 14 times each day, there would be no difficulty taking pictures of the hometowns of the heads of state -- and that it would even be possible to take pictures of the outlines of the countries in question and of other scientific features which could be presented to each country as research material.

But Lee said that it would be difficult to complete such photography in time for the president's trip at the end of this month because the satellite is undergoing tests, including ones involving ground receivers outside Taiwan that are still in the process of being installed -- a process which is expected to last until November or December.
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