■ Health
CDC warns on dysentery
Health officials reported yesterday that 16 Taiwanese travelers returning from Southeast Asia had bacterial dysentery in the past month, and the government urged tourists to be more alert about the illness. The Center for Disease Control said 10 of the patients had visited Indonesia, three Thailand and three China. During the first 10 months of the year, the center reported a total of 74 cases of bacterial dysentery, which can cause abdominal pain and diarrhea. Most of the cases originated in Southeast Asia, the center said.
■ Health
Slimmers get pork prizes
The Taichung County Government has come up with a unique way to help people lose weight -- by giving winners of a weight loss campaign the same amount of pork as the flab they shed. The county government yesterday hailed the success of its first two-month slimming course, in which 385 people have lost a total of 1,078kg. Seven top winners received pork for having shed up to 10kg of weight. "The course was free of charge. The participants met for two hours each week to do aerobics and to learn how to control their calorie intake," an official said. Taichung officials will launch the second pork-for-lost-weight slimming course as soon as enough participants have signed up, she said.
■ Politics
TSU seeks new flag design
The Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) yesterday announced a competition to solicit suggestions about a design for a new national flag and a new date for the national day. The party said it expects to find new national symbols that have been selected by all the nation's people and which could truly represent the "spirit of Taiwan." The deadline for entries is Nov. 25 and five selections in each category will be announced on Dec 1. The category winners will be awarded NT$50,000 each. An Internet vote will be held from Dec. 2 until Feb.20 next year and the final winners will be awarded NT$500,000 each. For more information, visit the TSU's Web site at www.tsu.org.tw.
■ Diplomacy
Envoy was almost recalled
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) said that the ministry had considered calling back the nation's representative to the US David Lee (李大維) in protest after US Secretary of State Colin Powell's statement that Taiwan was not a sovereign nation. However, Chen said that after obtaining further information on Powell's statement through diplomatic channels, the ministry decided the remarks had been a mistake on Powell's part and that it would not call Lee back. Chen said that Powell's remarks were still "a big surprise" and "a big shock" to the ministry, and the ministry would reflect on and review the unexpected situation.
■ Legislation
Yu explains new constitution
Premier Yu Shyi-kun said yesterday that the new constitution in 2006 would be created following the regulations in the existing Constitution, and creating a new constitution via referendum would not be possible before this regulation is written into the Constitution. Yu elaborated on the new constitution when questioned by independent lawmaker Sisy Chen (陳文茜) yesterday. Yu said that it did not matter whether the new constitution would be a brand new one or an amended version of the existing Constitution, because only after the right to make a new constitution via referendum has been written into the Constitution can it be amended via referendum.
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
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
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard