President Chen Shui-bian (
The chartered plane carrying Chen will make refueling stops in Hawaii en route to Panama, where Chen will attend the inauguration ceremony of Panamanian president Martin Torrijos.
From Panama, Chen will fly to Belize for a less-than-24-hour visit, and then make a brief stop in Seattle before returning home early morning on Sept. 5.
Chen shortened his Central American tour by a day in order to return to oversee the nation's relief work in northern and central Taiwan, which was devastated by Typhoon Aere.
Because of the abbreviated schedule, he will not stay over in Hawaii or Seattle as originally planned.
Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General James Huang (黃志芳) said that overall, "traveling on the plane will account for approximately 43 hours in the president's diplomatic trip, with a total amount of about 83 hours for refueling stops in Hawaii, Seattle and visiting two of the nation's diplomatic allies in Central America."
Chen is expected to rub shoulders with other foreign dignitaries, including US Secretary of State Colin Powell, while attending the inauguration in Panama.
During a brief stop in Hawaii, Chen will visit Pearl Harbor and the USS Arizona Memorial, which commemorates the sacrifice made by the 2,390 US soldiers who lost their lives in the December 7, 1941, Japanese surprise attack -- half of them from the battleship USS Arizona.
In Hawaii and Seattle, Chen will attend banquets to be held in his honor by expatriates, and will meet with US politicians.
Members of his entourage include Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
Taoyuan County Commissioner and Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member Chu Li-lun (
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS