■ Crime
Argentina detains fishermen
Argentine navy officials captured a Taiwanese-flagged trawler for alleged illegal fishing in its waters, officials in Buenos Aires said in a statement on Tuesday. The boat, identified as Yuanfa No 16, was intercepted on Monday 199 nautical miles (368.5km) from Comodoro Rivadavia, in the southern province of Chubut, loaded with 39 tonnes of squid, they said. The crew of 27, hailing from China, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam, did not offer resistance when informed they were fishing in Argentine waters, the statement said.
■ Health
Partying takes its toll
Partied-out New Year revellers have been seeking medical treatment in droves for colds, sore throats and other ailments sustained during New Year's Eve celebrations, according to Charles Tseng (曾哲凰) of Kaohsiung's Geetian Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital. Many of those who failed to dress warmly came down with colds, while some of those who welcomed the new year with loud cheers ended up with sore and inflamed throats, he said. Because most clinics were closed on Monday, patients had to wait until Tuesday for treatment, he said. He said more than 20 people turned up at his hospital on Tuesday, mostly as a result of the year-end party frenzy. The big crowds attending such events and the fact that Taiwan is in its peak flu season increased the likelihood of infection, he said.
■ Politics
Nicaragua trip not final
The Presidential Office yesterday said President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) possible trip to Nicaragua had not yet been finalized, despite media reports claiming that Chen was planning to make a stopover in Los Angeles on his way to the Central America ally. Presidential Office Spokesman David Lee (李南陽) said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was still working on the details and nothing was final at this point. Ministry Spokesman David Wang (王建業) said details would be made public once everything was settled. The Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister paper) and United Daily News both reported yesterday that Chen was scheduled to leave on a five-day journey to Nicaragua on Monday. The reports also said Chen might send an envoy to attend the inauguration of Nicaraguan president-elect Daniel Ortega on Wednesday. The Central News Agency yesterday quoted a source in Washington as saying that Los Angeles was not being considered for a transit stop. Taiwan's Representative to Washington David Lee (李大維) also said that the trip had not been finalized and he was still negotiating details with the US government.
■ Culture
International exhibit planned
The Taipei International Arts Village (TAV) will be hosting exhibitions featuring works by three international artists in residence this year. Poet Erik Lindner from Holland and visual artists William Attaway from the US and Higashiro Tetsushi from Japan were invited by the TAV's International Artist-in-Residence Program, which aims at providing a center in Taipei for bringing local and international artists together and facilitating intercultural collaboration. As the first international artist to stay at the TAV in 2001, Lindner said unique experiences during his stay, including Typhoon Nari, had inspired him and would be the topic of poems about his residence. The TAV exhibits are open to the public. Details can be found on the village's Web site, www.artistvillage.org
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition