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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Politics
DPP to probe Chen adviser
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday announced the establishment of a committee of three legal experts to investigate presidential adviser Chen Che-nan (陳哲男), who is suspected of involvement in the improper hiring of foreign workers to help build the Kaohsiung MRT system. The DPP made the decision at its central standing committee meeting yesterday afternoon. DPP Secretary-General Lee Yi-yang (李逸洋) stressed that the party's investigation will focus on whether Chen Che-nan's suspected involvement in the case has damaged the DPP's image, and that the probe will not overlap with another investigation by legal authorities. Lee said that Chen Che-nan had failed to clarify his connection with the Kaohsiung MRT controversy over the past month. Chen Che-nan said yesterday that he will cooperate with the party's probe.

■ Security
Illegal immigrants caught
A total of 890 illegal immigrants from China were arrested during the first eight months of this year, with most of them caught in northern and northeastern Taiwan, according to government tallies. Of that total, 716 were arrested within Taiwan, including 341 in Taipei, 148 in Ilan and 124 in Keelung, according to statistics compiled by the Bureau of Immigration. Another 119 were discovered trying to illegally enter Taiwan aboard ships heading for the country, while an additional 55 were caught near the nation's coasts, according to the tallies. All of the illegal immigrants, 550 males and 340 females, are currently being held at detention centers in Hsinchu and Ilan, police said.

■ Foreign affairs
Taiwanese welcome in India
The India-Taipei Association (ITA) is faring well and Taiwanese visitors are welcome to visit India, despite devastating earthquakes that have killed thousands of people there in recent days, a spokesman for the association said yesterday. Stressing that the earthquake would not hinder normal business and travel activities in India, the spokesman also thanked the people and the government of Taiwan for their assistance and aid to the rescue and relief operations that are still being carried out in the three affected South Asian countries that include Pakistan and Afghanistan. The northwestern region of Jammu and Kashmir is the hardest-hit region in India, but is located far from New Delhi, the country's capital, he noted. The ITA is India's representative office in Taiwan, responsible for bilateral exchanges in the absence of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

■ Society
Culture goes high-tech
In an effort to make cultural events more accessible to the public, the Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department yesterday launched a wireless service that allows PDA users to browse information in its booklet Culture Express. To promote cultural events, the department has been distributing Culture Express,which provides detailed information on cultural events at more than 600 sites around the city for free. According to the department, any PDA or PDA/phone with Internet access can download the software, enabling users to use the "Culture Express" Web site through the "map," "calendar" or "category" functions. The Web site provides Chinese, English and Japanese language services. Visit pda.culture.gov.tw for more information.

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