Taiwan Quick Take

■ Fishing
Taiwanese boat missing
Japanese said on yesterday they were searching for a Taiwanese fishing boat that was reported missing earlier this week. No contact has been made since Monday with the 97-tonne Sheng I Tsai No. 33 and its 13-member crew -- a Taiwanese captain, seven Chinese and five Indonesians -- according to a statement from Japan's coast guard. The tuna trawler was last believed to have been about 1,100km southeast of Iwo Jima, or roughly near the US Pacific territory of Guam. On Friday, Taiwan's Rescue Coordination Center requested the help of Japanese authorities in locating the vessel, the statement said. Japan's coast guard and Maritime Self-Defense Force have dispatched aircraft and a ship to search for the boat, it said.

■ Defense
US may upgrade exchanges
The Committee on Armed Services of the US House of Representatives has requested that the Pentagon upgrade exchanges of military personnel with Taiwan. In the Fiscal Year 2006 National Defense Authorization Act passed by the committee on Thursday, the Pentagon is asked to undertake a program of senior military officers and senior official exchanges with Taiwan to improve its defenses against China. A "senior military officer" means a general or flag officer of the armed forces on active duty, and a "senior official" means a civilian official of the Department of Defense at the level of deputy assistant secretary of defense or above, according to the act. Washington currently allows senior military officer and officials from Taiwan to visit the US but not vice versa. However, exchange visits between senior military officers and officials from the US and China is common, with more than 80 such visits taking place in the 1990s and 14 in the past few years, committee members noted.

■ Investment
Invest in Philippines: MOEA
The mining industry and tap water supply system are two ideal targets for Taiwanese businesspeople interested in investing in the Philippines, Economic Affairs Minister Ho Mei-yueh (何美玥) said yesterday. Ho, who returned a day earlier from an investment fact-finding trip to the Philippines, pointed out that the Philippine government has since December last year relaxed restrictions on foreign investment in the country's mining sector, with foreign control of up to 100 percent permitted. In addition, the Philippine government has put forth a number of projects to improve the quality of its tap water, Ho said.

■ Education
Language lessons urged
Education Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) reaffirmed yesterday his ministry's resolve to promote mother-tongue education in Taiwan schools. Speaking at an ethnic image and history workshop held at the Tainan Women's College of Arts and Technology, Tu said language, ethnicity and culture are especially important at a time when the world is becoming a global village, because many smaller ethnic groups could easily be swept aside by stronger languages and cultures and disappear forever if attention is not paid to the situation. According to Tu, language is one of the most essential elements in ethnic identity, and the languages of the various ethnic groups must be protected in order to ensure the survival of these groups.