■ Diplomacy
Lin assumes office at WTO
The new head of the Permanent Mission of the Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu to the WTO was warmly greeted by mission members upon his arrival in Geneva, Switzerland, Friday. Lin Yi-fu (林義夫), an experienced official in foreign trade affairs, attended the 2003 WTO Ministerial Conference in Cancun, Mexico, in his previous capacity as minister of economic affairs. His mission in the new post is to join in the WTO's efforts to conclude the Doha round of trade talks.
■ Diplomacy
Taiwanese Americans help
Three New York Taiwanese community leaders headed for Geneva to help with Taiwan's bid to enter the World Health Organization (WHO). Lee Cheng-san (李正三), who is president of a pro-Taiwan overseas Taiwanese group, the Global Alliance for Democracy and Peace, Huang Chin-chih (黃靜枝) and Huang Man-yu (黃滿玉) said before they departed that they want to boost Taiwan's chances of entering the World Health Assembly (WHA) -- the governing body of the WHO. Lee called on China, which has forced the WHA to exclude Taiwan's bids from its agenda since 1997, to reach out to the Taiwan people by stopping its unreasonable blockage. Huang Chin-chih said it is a shame that Taiwan has been excluded from the world health body despite its generous contributions to international disaster relief operations. It denies the WHO a valuable member and denies the Taiwan people, he said. The WHA is gathering in Geneva for its annual conference from May 16-25. Taiwan sent a delegation of veteran diplomats and leading politicians to Geneva to try once again to get included on the agenda.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
Reports of Taiwanese going missing, being detained or interrogated, or having their personal liberties restricted in China increased about fourfold annually last year, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Last year, 221 Taiwanese who traveled to China were reported missing, were detained and interrogated, or otherwise had their personal freedom restricted, up from 55 the previous year, the council said. Reopening group tours to China would be risky, as it would leave travelers with no way to seek help through official channels after Beijing shut down dialogue between the associations tasked with handling cross-strait tourism, the MAC said. Taipei’s Taiwan Strait Tourism
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