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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ Society
Sanatorium garners support
Activists dedicated to saving the Lo Sheng Sanatorium said yesterday that officials of the UN and the US State Department have promised to lobby in support of its survival. Members of the patients' self-help organization made the remarks at a press conference after concluding a trip two-week trip to the UN headquarters and the US State Department. The activists said they were soliciting support to preserve 90 percent of the 4-hectare sanatorium as previously promised by the Cabinet, which is at odds with the Taipei County Government on the matter. The county government plans to demolish the sanatorium, which was built during Japanese colonial rule, to make way for a MRT construction project. Members of the lobbying group said the preservation of the Lo Sheng sanatorium is now not only a matter for Taiwan, but also for the world. They urged Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) not to continue "bullying" less-privileged citizens in the interest of commercial development.

■ Transportation
Far Eastern wins bid
The Far Eastern Toll Collection Co (FETCC) has again won the bid for the electronic toll collection (ETC) system on Taiwan's freeways, the National Highway and Freeway Bureau under the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced last night. Although Far Eastern was the original operator of the ETC system, the company was suspected to have been involved in illegal activities to win the bid. A court ruling forced Far Eastern to abandon the contract and required the ministry to reopen the bid. The court is reviewing an appeal from the ministry. However, the bureau announced that Far Eastern was still the winning bidder for the ETC system in the second round. Although the legal process is still ongoing, it wouldn't affect FETCC's eligibility, and if the court ruled against the company, the ministry has the right to terminate the contract, Tung Pao-cheng (董保城), convener of the review committee said.

■ Health
Parasites caused headache
Doctors recently treated a woman who suffered from headaches and epilepsy for 30 years because of an invasion by parasites in her brain. Neurosurgeon Yen Ching-hua (顏精華) of the Far Eastern Memorial Hospital reported on the case on Friday, saying doctors removed four calcified tumors from the 67-year-old woman's right occipital lobe; an analysis of the tumors found calcified cestodes. He said that cases of parasites invading the brain were rare outside of agricultural areas with polluted water and bad sanitation.

■ Politics
Lee undergoes heart surgery
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) underwent minor heart surgery yesterday at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei. Doctors inserted a balloon to help open his narrowed arteries to allow them to implant stents more easily. Altogether, the former president, 84, has had 11 stents implanted. Doctors said the surgery went smoothly and that Lee was recovering well, although he will stay in the hospital for two or three days. Lee has had heart surgery three times before. Doctors, considering his age, would not allow coronary bypass surgery and conducted the less invasive cauterization surgery. Lee went to the hospital for a checkup last month when the narrowed artery was diagnosed.

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