Sun, Oct 09, 2005 page3

• Taiwan Quick Take

  • STAFF WRITER, WITH AGENCIES
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  ■ SHIPPING
  

  Nine sailors rescued
  

  Helicopters and ships rescued nine crew members after their ship sank off the north coast in rough weather, the coast guard said yesterday. The ship, registered in the Central American nation of Belize, was carrying steel from Japan to Vietnam when it capsized in heavy seas early yesterday, cable station TVBS said. The ship had refueled in Keelung. The nine crew members, all Chinese nationals, escaped in an inflatable dinghy but drifted for more than an hour before helicopters and ships from the coast guard whisked them to safety, a coast guard official told the cable station. One crew member surnamed Sun, 50, was taken to the Mackay Memorial Hospital in nearby Tamsui (淡水) for treatment, but he was not in danger, the officials said.

  ■ SOCIETY
  

  Singer in `glass house'
  

  Singaporean pop singer Stefanie Sun (孫燕姿) moved into a glass house next to the Taipei 101 skyscraper yesterday for a 24-hour stint to promote her latest CD. Her stay was being broadcast live on the Internet. Sun, 27, planned to spend 24 hours in the glass-and-steel structure. Her hair dyed a fiery red, Sun sat on a brightly colored sofa as photographers milled about. Her fans gathered outside, holding up umbrellas against the pouring rain. Other singers were planning to visit her, she told cable station ETTV. Sun said the temporary structure was more comfortable than she had expected. "I thought it would be a square box with a bed and a lamp," she said. Sun was planning to leave the house early this afternoon.

  ■ SOCIETY
  

  Railway uses `feng shui'
  

  The main entrance of Taipei Railway Station has been redesigned for better feng shui following a string of derailments and train delays, a railway official said over the weekend. Taiwan Railway Administration director Hsu Ta-wen (徐達文) said the administration had added a glass hallway to the station's main entrance to ward off evil spirits. The renovation was made at the suggestion of Master Hun Yuan (混元禪師), a well-known Buddhist master, Hsu said. The railway administration consulted Hun Yuan after several derailments, train delays and suicides on the tracks. Hun Yuan said the incidents had occurred because the station's main entrance faces a "white tiger demon." To avoid the demon, the main door had to be moved back 6m. The administration installed a glass hallway behind the main door, so that passengers now arriving at the station must enter two doors. Several lawmakers on Friday blasted the administration for squandering money on "superstition."
  

  ■ TOURISM
  

  PRC delegation on the way
  

  China's National Tourism Administration (NTA) hopes to send a delegation to Taiwan late this month to look into the local market in preparation for the lifting of restrictions on Chinese tourism, travel sources said. At the invitation of Taiwan's Travel Agent Association, NTA Director Shao Qiwei (邵琪偉) will head a 60-member delegation on a 10-day fact-finding visit, the sources said, adding that the delegation will consist of NTA staff members and tourism chiefs from major Chinese provinces and cities. In addition to touring major scenic spots such as Sun Moon Lake, Alishan and Hualien, the delegation will also visit administrative offices. Applications for the visit have been sent to the Tourism Bureau and the Mainland Affairs Council for approval.
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