Reacting to the government's reluctance to accept China's offer of two pandas, the Taipei City Zoo and its advocates yesterday urged the government not to play "hide-and-seek" with the pandas or ignore the wishes of Taipei residents to receive them.
They said that if the government insisted on politicizing the panda offer and meddling in the issue, they will invite Taipei residents to sign a petition asking the government to listen to the people's voice.
"The Council of Agriculture promised to make a final decision by seeking professional opinions, and we expect them to keep their promise," said the Taipei City council deputy speaker Lee Hsin (李新) of the People First Party (PFP) at a press conference.
The council said that it would seek the opinion of conservationists and other experts, and would not be influenced by political considerations during their decision-making process. The final decision on whether to approve the pandas' entry will be announced by March 23.
Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) previously said that for pandas to enter the country, China would have to abide by the rules of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species and allow Taiwan to sign an agreement as an "importing country" -- something he said was a practical impossibility.
Taipei Zoo President Chen Bao-chong (
"All the facilities in our panda house were specially designed for pandas. We also sent our staff to learn how to take care of pandas at zoos in Beijing, Japan and the US," he added.
The zoo filed its panda import application with the council in October, and a review panel will make a decision on whether it should be the pandas' home.
The city's Teachers Association, the city government's "panda team" and three children who won a panda-drawing contest held by the city zoo also issued their support for the city's bid to house the panda pair.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS