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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Religion
Condom nun sparks outrage
Posters showing a Catholic nun holding a condom as part of an anti-AIDS campaign in Taiwan have been recalled and destroyed after protests from angry church members, an official said yesterday. The posters, put up recently at several Taipei mass transit stations, feature a woman dressed as a nun saying "Although I don't use it, I know [what a condom is.]" The aim was to promote the use of condoms to prevent the spread of AIDS. However Taipei's Sexually-Transmitted Disease Control Center, which commissioned the poster, was forced to apologize and remove the advertisements earlier this month after protests from Catholic groups. All posters and digital files were destroyed, an official at the center said.

■ Health
Chemical in food scrutinized
The Department of Health (DOH) announced yesterday that it will formally regulate, with immediate effect, foods and related products that contain polychlorinated biphenyl, which can be harmful to the health if ingested over the long term. The program will target all foods and related products on the domestic market, including dairy products and drinks, meat products, eggs, seafoods, baby foods and paper food containers, said Chen Lu-hung (陳陸宏), director of the DOH's Bureau of Food Sanitation. Repeated violators of the regulation will face fines ranging from NT$30,000 to NT$150,000, depending on the seriousness of the offenses, Chen said. According to the DOH, polychlorinated biphenyl accumulates in the body if ingested over a long period, causing skin rashes, respiratory problems, damage to the immune system, gout, anemia and liver lesions.

■ Crime
Alleged drug dealer caught
A mobile squad of the Coast Guard Administration arrested a suspected drug dealer in Taoyuan yesterday, seizing 2kg of heroin with a street value of over NT$100 million (US$3.1 million). The squad captain, Tsai Yuan-ching (蔡源慶), said they had been stalking the suspect, identified as Chen Yen-chun (陳彥均), 25, for three months. Chen owns a mansion and four expensive cars. Chen allegedly delivered drugs to his distributors twice a week, according to the squad. More than 30 coast guard officers were mobilized for the arrest. A further investigation aimed at tracing other drug sources is now underway.

■ Education
MAC wary of Chinese offer
A high-ranking official of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday that the Chinese government's offer to lower tuition fees for Taiwanese students is a united-front tactic aimed at dividing Taiwan's people. The offer, which takes effect next month, was announced by China's Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO), which said that Taiwanese students attending China's universities will be charged the same tuition fees as Chinese students. In addition to lowering tuition fees for Taiwanese students, the TAO said that it will provide scholarships specifically for Taiwanese students by setting aside 7 million Chinese yuan (US$863,000) per year. The MAC official expressed concern that the preferential treatment might put pressure on the Taiwanese government when considering whether to accept qualifications granted by Chinese schools. The official said that Taiwan is an open society, so it could not prohibit students from studying in China.

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