■ Legislature
Arms bill rejected again
The Procedure Committee yesterday rejected the long-stalled arms procurement plan, for the 30th time, as well as the confirmation of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) nominees for the Control Yuan. The pan-blue dominated committee voted down the two bills yet again. However, it did place the proposed amendments to the Statute Governing the Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (兩岸人民關係條例), amendments to the Organic Law of the Judicial Yuan (司法院組織法) and the special flood-control bill proposed by the People First Party (PFP) caucus on the legislative agenda. The committee also elected three conveners to take turns chairing the weekly meeting. They are Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip William Lai (賴清德), Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Pan Wei-kang (潘維剛) and PFP caucus whip Lin Hui-kuan (林惠官).
■ Diplomacy
Lee's speech confirmed
The National Press Club in Washington confirmed on Monday that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) will give a speech at the club on Oct. 20. A club official said Lee will also take questions from the audience after his speech. In addition, the Formosan Association for Public Affairs (FAPA), which is in charge of Lee's itinerary while in Washington, has also arranged for him to give a brief speech at a luncheon on Capitol Hill. David Lee (李大維), the nation's representative to the US, said Monday that he will act according to the protocol for greeting former heads of state set up by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs two years ago. Lee will also probably meet with Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski in Anchorage before he flies to New York, Washington and Los Angeles. Lee visited the US in 1995 and spoke at his alma mater, Cornell University, triggering vehement protests from Beijing. After retiring in 2000, he again visited Cornell in June 2001.
■ Weather
Typhoon may head this way
Typhoon Longwang, the 19th typhoon this year, has increased its intensity to that of a medium typhoon and it will be clear in about three days whether it will affect the country, the Central Weather Bureau reported yesterday. It is uncertain yet whether Longwang, still 2,100km away, will affect the nation because the high pressure over the Pacific Ocean is not stable. The situation will be clearer by Friday. If Longwang moves toward Taiwan, a warning could be issued on Sunday, the bureau said.
■ Education
Foreign students in Taichung
More than 200 students from 36 countries have been studying Chinese language and culture at Providence University in Shalu (沙鹿) Township, Taichung County, since the beginning of the month, university officials said. The school has the number of foreign students of any university or college in the central Taiwan, according to the university, whose Chinese Language Education Center (CLEC) began enrolling students in 1996. One of the CLEC students, Alexander Oxmar Ramireg Bazan from Paraguay, said he is grateful to his government giving him chance to study at the university. Cyntia Bahiana Esinolamonges, also from Paraguay, said she had been warmly greeted at the airport by a CLEC teacher and students from the Spanish language and culture department. The kindness of Taiwanese people was her first impression of the country, she said.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
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