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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Diplomacy
Chen calls on pope for help
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has asked the pope to try to stop China's bullying. He made the request in a letter posted on the Presidential Office Web site, following Pope Benedict's New Year message in which he called for peace and respect for human rights. "As Your Holiness indicates, `Those with greater political, technical or economic power may not use that power to violate the rights of others who are less fortunate,'" Chen's letter said, referring to China. "Taiwan has long been suppressed by a more powerful neighbor and is still refused entry to the United Nations ... Please also urge China to dismantle the missiles it has aimed at Taiwan and to renounce the use of force, thus giving peace and stability in Taiwan, and the Asia-Pacific region, a chance," the letter said.

■ Immigration
New test introduced
The Ministry of the Interior announced this week that foreigners applying for citizenship will have the option of taking a new examination that tests Chinese language skills and general knowledge of the nation, as well as the duties of a citizen. All would-be citizens are required to pass such a test, but the ministry has teamed up with the Ministry of Education and other public and private organizations to design a simpler, more relevant test, which is now available to examinees. Staple questions such as: "At what age is a minor legally allowed to set off fireworks, or other similar projectiles?" will no longer be asked in the newer version of the test, the release said. They will be replaced with questions such as: "Where is there likely to be the most oxygen in a room filled with smoke due to a fire?" will be asked in the new version.

■ Justice
Death penalty still an issue
The Ministry of Justice said yesterday that it would continue to solicit views from all sectors of society this year on whether to abolish capital punishment. Chang Chin-yun (張清雲), director of the ministry's Department of Prevention, Rehabilitation and Protection, said it would conduct public hearings, seminars and debates to help the public think about and debate the issue. He said that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in 2000 said that he would like to scrap the death penalty and that the ministry's policy to eventually abolish it remained unchanged. He noted that the concept of "getting even" was still prevalent in Taiwan and that the abrogation of the death penalty would have to wait for "a maturing of society."

■ Agriculture
False reports hurt farmers
False media reports on poultry farms have apparently taken their toll on the nation's duck farmers and restaurant owners. In a press conference hosted by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Wu Ming-ming (吳明敏) yesterday, several duck farmers complained that sales of ducks have been affected after TVBS last month broadcast what it claimed was exclusive coverage of duck processing, in which employees at the slaughterhouse allegedly removed duck feathers with asphalt. Since last month, the price of duck meat has dropped from NT$43 to NT$34 per kilogram. Restaurant owners also said that the reports had caused a 50 percent fall in business. The breeders asked the media to balance its coverage of the duck industry, threatening to launch a long-term campaign against negative news coverage if they were ignored. This came after coverage was later found to be false, as the slaughterhouse had actually been using resin-based feather removal gels.

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