■ Health
More dengue cases seen
Health workers sprayed insecticide and inspected homes in Pingtung yesterday after three new cases of dengue fever were reported. The latest cases in Pingtung raised the nation's total number of infections this year to 15, said Lee Tsui-chung (李翠瓊), a section chief with the Center for Disease Control. TV reports showed officials checking homes for buckets, tubs and other containers that might be holding standing water that's ideal for mosquito breeding. Officials were also spraying yards and wooded areas with clouds of insecticide. Lee said 14 cases have been reported in Pingtung so far this year and one in Taichung
■ Diplomacy
FSC chief sets US speech
Finance Supervision Commission Chairman Kung Chao-sheng (龔照勝) will attend the Financial Service Roundtable in Washington on Sept. 29 and Sept. 30. Kung is scheduled to deliver a speech in the Global Financial Issue Forum of the roundtable. US Vice President Dick Cheney will also address the roundtable. The roundtable has nearly 100 famous corporate members, including Citigroup, HSBC North America Holding Co, JP Morgan Chase & Co, ING group, Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America and Merrill Lynch & Co.
■ Trade
TAITRA to go to bike fair
The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) will lead a delegation to the International Bicycle Trade Exhibition in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5. TAITRA officials said that in the past few years, Taiwan's bicycles have gained a reputation for high technology, high quality and multifunctionality in Europe, and the delegation's participation in the show will continue to strengthen the good image of Taiwan-made bikes. The delegation will be composed of 150 bike and component companies with some showcasing their environmentally friendly electric foldable bikes and electric mountain bikes. A total of 790 brand names from 37 countries will be shown at the bike fair, the largest in Europe, according to TAITRA officials.
■ Tourism
Kuijen hosts fruit festival
A two-day Buddha-head fruit festival began yesterday in Kuijen township, Tainan County, officials said. Visitors can visit the Tainan County office's south service center to shop and taste Buddha-head fruit. There was also Buddha-head fruit-flavored ice cream sold by the county's Farmers Association. The annual Buddha-head fruit festival is being presided over by Tainan County Commis-sioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智).
■ Diplomacy
S Africa keeps visa rule
South Africa's three-month visa-free privilege for Taiwanese will remain valid for the time being, a South African parliamentarian of Taiwanese origin said yesterday. Chen Chien-hui (陳阡蕙) of South Africa's main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, made the remarks after the South African legislature passed amendments to the nation's immigration law. Chen said the revised immigration law, which will be formally enacted late this month, does not address immigration and visa issues concerning any specific country. Therefore, Chen said, South Africa will maintain its three-month visa-free privilege for Taiwan at least for the time being.
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
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition
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