From newly-painted lines on roads to practice runs for motorcades, the Marshall Islands is sprucing up ahead of the first-ever official visit by a president -- even though he is a leader most of the world does not recognize.
Taiwanese President Chen Shui-bian (
Although at least one South American president flew through Majuro on a refueling stop en route to Asia in recent years, when Chen sets foot in Majuro he will become the first president to make an official visit to this central Pacific nation of 60,000.
Taiwan's ambassador to the Marshall Islands, Lien-gene Chen (
The lead-up to the visit has been marked by allegations of payoffs to government officials by people linked to China in an attempt to get diplomatic recognition switched back to China. The government has officially denied the payoffs, claimed to be between US$6,000 and US$10,000 offered to each official.
The Marshall Islands switched its recognition to Taiwan in 1998 and now receives US$10 million annually in aid and other help from Taipei. The Marshall Islands is one of five small and poor Pacific states to recognize Taiwan.
Chen's visit coincides with the 26th anniversary of Constitution Day, the local celebration of independence.
The Ministry of Public Works and many local businesses have been working feverishly over the past two weeks to clean up the capital for Chen's visit. The government on Friday also gave most government workers the day off from normal office duties to ensure the island is spotless.
Trash is being picked up and grass cut in parts of the island usually ignored by clean up crews.
Roads that have not been spruced up since they were repaved in 1999 have seen crews out painting lines morning and night this week.
On Thursday, police and security officials tied up traffic on the single main road for hours by practising motorcade arrivals and departures from the hotel where Chen will stay.
Chen's entourage of 170 is using up every available hotel room on the island. Current occupants of the Marshall Islands Resort, the hotel where Chen will stay for two nights, are being moved out yesterday morning to make room for the Taiwanese group.
Marshall Islands President Kessai Note will host a state dinner tonight. Tomorrow, the official holiday marking Constitution Day, Chen will speak to the Nitijela (parliament), briefly attend Constitution Day ceremonies at the capital, and then open a Taiwan trade fair in the early afternoon.
He and Note will launch the President's Race for the Outrigger Canoe National Cup, and the two will take a short lagoon ride on a traditional outrigger sailing canoe.
Chen leaves for Kiribati on Tuesday morning.
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