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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Diplomacy
Switzerland's help requested
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) appealed to Switzerland yesterday to support Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer. During a meeting at his office with visiting Switzerland Federal Assembly Speaker Bruno Frick, the president said Bern should abstain rather than vote against Taiwan's bid as it did last year at the WHA, which is the governing body of the World Health Organization (WHO). Just as pandemics know no boundaries, the WHO's battle against disease should not be limited by political boundaries by excluding a nation like Taiwan. That is why the European Parliament has repeatedly voiced its support to include Taiwan in the WHA, Chen said.

■ Politics
Soong to return next week
People First Party (PFP) Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) is scheduled to return from his overseas trip next week and meet with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to discuss such stymied legislation as the arms procurement plan. According to PFP Legislator Chang Hsien-yao (張顯耀), who is also the party's Director of Policy Research, Soong will first meet with outgoing KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰). The time and topics of discussion for the meeting have not been finalized. Soong's meeting with Ma will focus on the year-end local elections and arms procurement plan. Soong will discuss the same issues with Wang as he is the head of the legislature, Chang said. Soong would then begin visiting and campaigning for party candidates running in the year-end local government elections before departing for Shanghai for a cross-strait forum organized by the party, Chang said.

■ Religion
Sacred tree passes customs
A sapling from a Sri Lankan bodhi tree deeply revered by Buddhists has at last made it into Taiwan after being rejected by quarantine authorities. The sapling from the Jaya Siri Maha Bodhi, believed to be descended from the bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment, was detained at customs due to regulations forbidding imports of Sri Lanka bodhi trees with roots. Taiwan's Ling Jiou Mountain Buddhist Society, which received the sapling as a gift from the Sri Lankan government, said it was treated by a renowned tree surgeon, flown overseas and then sent back to Taiwan for a second try. Ling Jiou Mountain spokeswoman said the sapling, which was escorted by a Sri Lankan member of parliament and two monks, will be planted on Sunday at a ceremony with Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) in attendance.

■ Environment
Fuel leaking from vessel
The Marine Bureau of the Kaohsiung City Government yesterday again ordered that all shipbreaking operations on the Royal Pacific, a Panama-registered passenger liner that sank in Kaohsiung Harbor in June after catching fire, should cease immediately because fuel leaking from the vessel is polluting the waters in and around the harbor. A bureau spokesman said that an investigation by bureau officials has found that the shipbreaking operations were unauthorized and that light diesel fuel and heavy fuel oil leaking from the vessel has polluted the harbor. He said that legal procedure must be followed to obtain permission for any shipbreaking and that the job must be done by an authorized shipyard to ensure no damage is done to the environment.

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