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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Health
China visits may be barred
Department of Health (DOH) Minister Hou Sheng-mou (侯勝茂) said that the government will prohibit local people from visiting China if bird flu infections begin to be passed between humans. Hou noted that although there are birds infected with H5N1 avian flu virus in China, there are so far no cases of bird flu infections between humans. However, due to the lack of transparency of China's medical and quarantine information, the government will try to keep up with the real situation in China, Hou added. Meanwhile, Hou also reminded people returning from visits to Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Cambodia to monitor their health for 10 days after coming back to Taiwan as there were also cases of bird flu infections in these Southeast Asian countries.

■ Agriculture
Apple export goal doubled
Taitung's custard apples have been so well received overseas that the export goal for the fruit next year has been doubled to 77 tonnes, the Taitung District Agricultural Research and Extension Station under the Council of Agriculture said yesterday. Station officials said that they will target Singapore, Hong Kong, Canada, Malaysia and China. Custard apples, a specialty of Taitung, are a favorite both at home and abroad because of their unique flavor, texture and shape. Recently, the fruit has been crossed with pineapples and the resulting taste is distinctive. The officials said that harvest time for custard apples is between December and April, and this year's export goal was set at 23 tonnes. Because of their immense popularity, 38 tonnes were exported. Exporters had hoped that exports for next year could be increased to 91 tonnes, but for the sake of steady growth, the goal has been set at 77 tonnes, the officials said.

■ Urban planning
Strategy seminar to be held
A seminar on strategies for urban renewal in Asia will be held next month, the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) said yesterday. Council officials said that the seminar, to be co-sponsored by the council and the Ministry of the Interior (MOI), will invite academics, experts and figures from private enterprises at home and overseas for the seminar on Nov. 10 and Nov. 11. Hopefully, a consensus can be forged on the best strategy of urban renewal in Taiwan through exchanges with other participants, the officials said. They noted that the nation will undergo dramatic changes in population growth and living environments in the next 50 years.

■ Society
Women's group to relocate
The National Women's League of the Republic of China will relocate and return the land it currently occupies to the military, league chairwoman Cecilia Koo (辜嚴倬雲) said yesterday. Koo made the remarks at a memorial service to mark the second anniversary of the passing of Soong Mayling (宋美齡), also known as Madame Chiang Kai-shek, who helped found the league in 1950 in Taipei. Up until 1964, the league was called the Chinese Women's Anti-Aggression League. Koo said that the establishment of the league aimed to serve military personnel, and that it helped sew millions of military uniforms and set up nurseries for the children of military personnel over the years. But she noted that nowadays the living conditions for those in the military are good, and that the league can do little in the way of assistance. The league will relocate to Chingtao East Road in Taipei from its current premises at Changsha Street by the end of this year, Koo said.

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