■ Society
Lee arrives in New York
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) and his wife arrived in New York on Friday on the second leg of their two-week private trip to the US. Lee and his wife were greeted by Tsai Jen-tai (蔡仁泰), an adviser to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁); Chang Ya-feng (張亞鳳), chairwoman of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association in New York; and nearly 30 other supporters in the city. Before arriving in New York, Lee visited Anchorage, Alaska where Governor Frank Murkowski, a staunch supporter of Taiwan, gave him a warm welcome and played host. Lee was scheduled to visit "Ground Zero," where the World Trade Center once stood, yesterday.
PHOTO: AP
■ Health
Teen suicide rate a concern
A mental health survey released by the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH) yesterday found that nearly 20 percent of teenage girls have been suicidal in the past year, and among them 6 percent have attempted suicide. The survey was publicized yesterday at a conference held in Taipei to address issues concerning depression and suicide prevention for children and teenagers. Professor Chiu Yen-nan (丘彥南) of NTUH's Psychiatry Department released the results of an investigation into depression-related suicides in children and teens, which found that teenage girls had more suicidal tendencies than teenage boys. However, boys are up to three times more likely to succeed in killing themselves than girls.
■ Defense
Military removing munitions
The military will continue to dispose of outdated ammunition, land mines and vacant barracks on Kinmen to help boost development and tourism on the frontline island, a military official said yesterday. Wu Ta-peng (吳達澎), commander of the Kinmen defense command, said that the command has shipped 3,300 tonnes of unserviceable ammunition since April from Kinmen to Taiwan for disposal. While 1,800 tonnes of outdated ammunition has been destroyed so far on Kinmen, the command is planning to dispose of another 1,000 tonnes next year to reduce the danger to local residents, Wu said. In addition, Wu said the military had completed an inspection of the minefields on Kinmen in May and decided to funnel NT$470 million starting next year to clear the land mines over a three-year period.
■ Society
Sex recruitment denied
The chief pastor of the South Korean Jesus Morning Church in Taiwan yesterday denied accusations that the church was involved in sexual misconduct by recruiting young female university students who allegedly were to be sent to South Korea to be sexually assaulted by the church's religious leader. The church's chief pastor in Taiwan Lin Huei-chuan (林暉川) yesterday denied media reports that the church recruited new members by holding beauty competitions in university campuses and through its football teams for sexual purposes. Chung Myung-seok (鄭明析), founder of the South Korean Jesus Morning Star Church (南韓攝理教會), has been wanted by police in South Korea and Taiwan for 10 years for sexually assaulting his female followers.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
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