■ Politics
Officials vow tight security
Minister of the Interior Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) vowed yesterday to maintain order at CKS International Airport when Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) returns from a controversial visit to China today. Speaking at the Legislative Yuan, the minister said he could not say how many people would go to the airport for Lien's return, but he was firm in his conviction that anyone who tried to stir up trouble would be dealt with harshly. The minister said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Shih-chien (王世堅), who said he would greet Lien on his return at the airport with a shower of eggs, will be arrested if he makes good on his threat. Meanwhile, national police chief Hsieh Yin-tang (謝銀黨) said he will be present at the airport when Lien returns, although Chen Tzu-ching (陳子敬), the newly appointed chief of the Aviation Police Office will be in charge of the police force called in to maintain order. Hsieh said prosecutors from the Taoyuan District Court near the airport will also be present to deal with offenders who disrupt the peace at the airport. Besides the aviation officers, 1,462 policemen will be posted on roads leading to the airport, Hsieh said.
■ Foreign workers
Number of laborers rises
The number of foreign laborers totaled 304,833 as of the end of March, up 2.2 percent from a year earlier, the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) reported yesterday. Thai nationals constituted the largest portion with their number totaling about 100,000, or 32.7 percent of the total, followed by Vietnamese, at about 93,000, and Indonesians, with around 20,000, according to DGBAS officials, who quoted tallies from the Council of Labor Affairs. Of the foreign laborers, 53 percent, or 162,000 people, were working in the manufacturing sector.
■ Education
University promotes safety
Campus safety week at the National Cheng Kung University opened yesterday, according to university president Ou Shan-hwei (歐善惠). The opening ceremony was attended by Ou and Wang Fu-lin (王福林), director of the Department of Military Training Education under the Ministry of Education. Campus safety week is aimed at displaying the university's resolve to secure campus safety by promoting safety education, Ou said. To protect students from danger at night, the university has set up a volunteer "escorting angel team" to accompany students home during late hours, Ou said. He said the school has also employed martial arts experts to teach students defensive skills and established mobile scooter and bicycle teams to patrol the campus.
■ Employment
More foreign labor mooted
The Council of Labor Affairs is expected to allow employment of foreign laborers in public con-struction works worth more than NT$10 billion (US$317.46 million) again after a nearly four-year hiatus. The council made the announcement following Premier Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) recent order to review policy on foreign laborers. Kuo Fang-yu (郭芳煜), director-general of the council's Employment and Vocational Training Administration, said that the plan would allow 20 percent of workers on site to be foreign employees. Kuo said the plan would be announced within two weeks. The government suspended the introduction of foreign labor for public works in May 2001 to protect domestic employment.
■ Drugs
Man arrested in Cambodia
Cambodian authorities have charged a Taiwanese man with allegedly trying to smuggle 2.2kg of heroin out of the country, officials said yesterday. Cho Shih-jie, 25, was arrested at Phnom Penh International airport on Friday after checking in to board a plane, said prosecutor Nget Sarath, adding that he did not know the flight's destination. Police searched Cho Shih-jie and found several packs of heroin under his pants and strapped to his legs. The suspect faces a penalty of up to 20 years in prison and a fine of 50 million riel (US$12,500) if found guilty. Cambodia is not a major drug producer, but is becoming a transit point for heroin from the nearby Golden Triangle, a region where the borders of Myanmar, Thailand and Laos meet that is known for heroin production.
■ Diplomacy
Concern shown for Maduro
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has delivered his concern for Honduran President Ricardo Maduro, who suffered minor injuries during the forced landing of his plane yesterday. "President Chen has instructed the Taiwan embassy to express concern to Maduro on his behalf," the ministry said. Maduro was on the plane with his youngest daughter, Lorena, headed for Tela, a city 350km north of the capital. Due to engine problems, Maduro's plane was forced to land near Bahiade Tela. Maduro and his daughter were slightly injured but were taken to hospital. The ministry said Maduro delivered a television speech after the accident to inform the public that he was fine.
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
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