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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Diplomacy
Chen blasts Beijing
The international community has neglected Taiwan's call for peace and democracy and tolerated China's build-up of military strength, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday while giving a speech at a New Year gathering for foreign ambassadors. Chen said the Taiwanese government has offered an olive branch to Beijing on more than 40 occasions since 2000 in a bid to resume dialogue but has not yet received any positive response. Chen said the imbalance in arms strength would further threaten democracy in Taiwan and other democratic communities in the Asia Pacific region. The common security interests of Japan and the US in the Western Pacific would also be damaged. "As a leader elected via a democratic process, I cannot tolerate the worsening situation. We hope the international community will support Taiwan's bid to defend universal values such as democracy," Chen said.

■ Diplomacy
Diplomats to be promoted
Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday the ministry is considering whether to promote some of the country's diplomats in order to boost their level of representation and confidence when conducting foreign affairs on behalf of the country. Huang said that the ministry is considering filling up a number of vacancies for minister counselors in the country's 25 foreign embassies in order to boost the profile of Taiwanese diplomats. The minister said that youth should not be considered a hindrance to a diplomatic career and the government wouldn't be stingy in giving out titles to young diplomats as ability matters more than age. Minister counselor is one level below that of ambassador.

■ Diplomacy
MOFA warns journalists
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged the local media to apply for legal press permits when covering news in Middle Eastern countries following the arrest of a local TV journalist for illegal press activities by Iranian police. The CTI TV journalist Chin Lin-chien (秦綾謙) was arrested by the Iranian police for illegal reporting. She joined a local tour group to conduct news gathering but was later detained by local police, the Chinese-language United Daily News reported yesterday. The journalist has already been released, the report said. MOFA spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) urged the public to be aware of the uniqueness of Muslim culture and pay attention to the local customs of Middle Eastern countries.

■ Society
Patient needs identifying
The Buddhist Tzu Chi General Hospital in Hualien called on the public yesterday to help identify a woman aged about 35 who has been in a coma in the hospital's intensive care unit for nearly a month. A spokesman for the hospital said the woman was found unconscious on a roadside on Jan. 12 and was rushed to the hospital, where she has remained in a coma and on an artificial respirator ever since. The woman was not carrying an ID card or any other form of identification. She measures 158cm in height and weighs 59kg. As her name is not known, the hospital refers to her as "patient No. 86." The spokesman said that judging from the woman's features, she might be from Vietnam or another Southeast Asian country. He urged members of the public who might know the woman to help identify her so that the hospital can notify her family.

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