■ Politics
DPP to deal with Wu
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is expected to deal with a disciplinary violation involving first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) later this week, with Wu facing at least a suspension of party membership, a DPP official said yesterday. DPP Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) said the party's Central Review Committee had scheduled another meeting for Thursday on the matter after a meeting last week was canceled because half of the committee did not attend. Tsai said that the party's Central Executive Committee had stipulated that any members indicted on vote-buying or corruption charges would have their membership suspended and would then be expelled if convicted. Tsai denied that the DPP's decision to handle the matter quickly was aimed at boosting the party's campaign in the Dec. 9 mayoral elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung.
■ Drugs
Heroin hidden in plums
Two local men were arrested at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday while attempting to smuggle heroin into Taiwan, aviation police authorities said yesterday. The two men, identified by their surnames of Teng and Chen, had hidden the high-grade Cambodian heroin in preserved plums in their checked-in luggage, police said. Customs officials became suspicious after finding the packets of preserved plums in their luggage, since the products generally originate in Hong Kong and would be unlikely to have been brought in from Cambodia. The officials further examined the two men's luggage and discovered 4.6kg of the illicit drug.
■ Economy
Chen urges FTA with Seoul
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that the time was ripe for Taiwan and South Korea to begin talks on signing a free trade agreement (FTA). Chen made the remark while meeting the South Korean delegation to this year's Taiwan-Korea economic conference at the Presidential Office yesterday morning. He said it was time for talks about signing a FTA because South Korea was Taiwan's fifth-largest trading partner, fourth-largest source of imports and sixth-largest export destination. Bilateral trade volume was recorded at US$18.7 billion (NT$584 million) last year and South Korea enjoyed a US$7.6 billion trading surplus, he said. "Based on this solid foundation, it is the right time for the two countries to talk about an FTA," Chen said. In addition to the annual conference, Chen said that he hoped to see top-level officials of the two countries conduct country-to-country consultation meetings on economic and other issues.
■ Environment
EPA scrutinizing batteries
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) announced yesterday that it is examining 500 different types of batteries available locally to check if their mercury content falls within legal limits. EPA officials plan to sample batteries from retail stores as well as those stored in warehouses. The testing began yesterday and will continue until the end of next month. Importers and manufacturers of batteries found to contain more than 5ppm of mercury will be asked to withdraw their products from the market immediately. Meanwhile, they will not be able to manufacture, import or sell these illegal batteries anymore. The EPA in September introduced regulations limiting batteries' mercury content to no more than 5ppm.
The disruption of 941 flights in and out of Taiwan due to China’s large-scale military exercises was no accident, but rather the result of a “quasi-blockade” used to simulate creating the air and sea routes needed for an amphibious landing, a military expert said. The disruptions occurred on Tuesday and lasted about 10 hours as China conducted live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait. The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said the exercises affected 857 international flights and 84 domestic flights, affecting more than 100,000 travelers. Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a research fellow at the government-sponsored Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the air
Taiwan is to commence mass production of the Tien Kung (天弓, “Sky Bow”) III, IV and V missiles by the second quarter of this year if the legislature approves the government’s NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.78 billion) special defense budget, an official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said that the advanced systems are expected to provide crucial capabilities against ballistic and cruise missiles for the proposed “T-Dome,” an advanced, multi-layered air defense network. The Tien Kung III is an air defense missile with a maximum interception altitude of 35km. The Tien Kung IV and V
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
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