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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Politics
Young people discuss policy
Regional meetings of the first National Affairs Conference in central and southern Taiwan begin today, with 320 young adults gathering to discuss eight topics with experts before presenting the results at a national conference on Sept. 17 and Sept. 18 in Taipei. The conferences are the result of months of planning by the National Youth Commission after President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) promise to increase the participation of young people in national affairs. Two other regional conferences will be held in eastern and northern Taiwan on Sept. 11 and Sept. 12. More than 640 people aged 18 to 35 will take part in the regional meetings, while 160 of these will attend the national conference at the Chungshan Building on Yangmingshan.

■ Education
School links with Texas
Taiwan's Fo Kuang Shan Pumen (佛光山普門) Senior High School in Kaohsiung County forged sisterhood ties yesterday with Stafford Municipal School of Texas to enhance personnel, cultural and publication exchanges. Pumen Principal Yeh Ming-tsan (葉明燦) and visiting Stafford Mayor Leonard Scarcella jointly signed the agreement at the Pumen campus in Fo Kuang Shan Monastery, witnessed by Hsin Ting (心定) of the Fo Kuang Shan Buddhist order, who is also chairman of Pumen Senior High School. Scarcella is in Taiwan to attend the five-day general conference of the Buddha's Light International Association. He also presented an honorary citizen key to Hsing Yun (星雲法師), founder of the association and of the Fo Kuang Shan monastery. The Fo Kuang Shan monastery has a branch temple in Stafford.

■ Diplomacy
Lobbyists plan US trip
A private lobby mission is set to depart for the US Sept. 8 to promote Taiwan's bid to join the UN, officials said yesterday. Made up of more than 160 members of the Taiwan United Nations Alliance and the Presbyterian Church of Taiwan, the mission will hold a seminar with officials of the American Institute in Taiwan in Washington DC Sept. 10 and a prayer service Sept. 11, the officials said. On Sept. 15, they will start a series of lobbying parades in New York City around the UN headquarters and the office of China's permanent representative to the UN The group's leader, Wei Jui-ming (魏瑞明), said that the people of Taiwan have the right and obligation to participate in the international community. During the trip, Wei said, the lobbyists will sing hymns in Hokkien, Hakka and aboriginal languages to express Taiwan's desire to become a member of the organization and will pray for justice and peace for Taiwan and the world.

■ Social Welfare
Garden of Hope competes
Garden of Hope, a social welfare group, has been entered in the Asia Pacific NGO Awards 2004 contest held by the UK-based Resource Alliance. The group will compete with eight other nonprofits from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand. Winners will be announced at the alliance's 11th Asia Pacific Regional Resource Mobilization Workshop in Manila this month. Prizes for finalists include cash grants to support future fundraising, access to training and fundraising publications. The awards ceremony will be attended by the group's executive director, Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) on Sept. 17. The group recently established an overseas branch in Queens, New York.

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