■ Diplomacy
Cash payments denied
The government has denied claims that it donated cash to former Malawian president Bakili Muluzi amid rumors that he had received cash from foreign donors, including Taiwan, during his 10-year rule which ended last year. "Taiwan and Malawi have signed many cooperation programs and our government has allocated funds according to these programs, but has never made personal donations," Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Ching-lung (呂慶龍) said. Malawi's anti-corruption bureau said it has launched a probe into how US$11 million ended up in Muluzi's private bank account. Muluzi rejected the allegations and has been summoned to appear before the anti-graft body on Monday.
■ Charity
Pakistan trip called off
Members of the private Taiwan Roots Medical Peace Corps decided on Wednesday to abandon plans to travel to Pakistan to provide medical relief to victims of the Oct. 8 earthquake. Taiwan Roots president Liu Chi-hsiang (劉啟群) quoted Adam Fields, a US national who is a Taiwan Roots' volunteer, as saying after arriving in Pakistan that the Pakistani government welcomes humanitarian relief and medical aid from around the world, but would not issue visas to relief personnel from Taiwan, India or Israel. According to Liu, Fields was told by the Pakistani authorities that if Taiwanese groups plan to enter Pakistan for relief work, they should first obtain permission from Beijing. Liu criticized the Pakistani government for politicizing a purely humanitarian-aid issue, saying that linking humanitarian work to politics is the last thing that his group would like to see.
■ Crime
More women driving drunk
Taipei police statistics have shown that the number of women who have been caught drunk driving in the last three years has increased significantly, in spite of harsher penalties being imposed. Taipei police officers noted that since stiffer penalties were imposed in 2002 for drunk drivers in Taipei, the number of young drunk drivers has increased, with 18 to 20 year-olds accounting for the bulk. Meanwhile, the ratio of women driving drunk rose significantly from 5.9 percent in 2002 to 7.4 percent this year, the police officers said. Police officers expressed concern that the number of drunk drivers will rise further over the next few months as that is the peak season for drunk driving due to several traditional festivals, including Lunar New Year.
■ Culture
President praises winners
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) praised the five winners of the 9th National Culture and Arts awards yesterday as "cultural heroes" who have enriched the nation's cultural environment. Winners of the awards are theater arts professor Wang An-chi (王安祈), choreographer Lin Li-chen (林麗珍), film director Hou Hsiao-hsien (侯孝賢), novelist Chen Ching-wen (鄭清文) and composer Chien Nan-chang (錢南章). According to the president, the reputations enjoyed by these artists have helped make the arts achievements of Taiwan known overseas. He said culture is the nutrient that strengthens the development of a country and that society needs arts and culture to shape people's taste and enhance its humanistic values. He said that cultural and artistic creations flesh out the living environment.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
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