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Taiwan Quick Take

■ Crime
Chen against death penalty
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said he would like to gradually abolish capital punishment and eventually enshrine the idea in the Constitution. Chen made the remarks while receiving Theodoor Van Boven, a Dutch human rights activist, at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon. Chen said the number of death-sentence convictions had dwindled over the years. It was recorded at 32 in 1998, 24 in 1999 and 17 in 2000 when he took office. The number dropped to 10 in 2001 and zero last year. However, the public is still divided over the issue, Chen said, with about 80 percent against the abolition of capital punishment. About 40 percent said they would support it if there were supplementary measures, he added. Chen did not specify in his talk which survey he was referring to and when the survey was conducted.

■ Transportation
More trains joining service
The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) plans to add six more trains to the current 25 one-way trains and speed up travel time starting on June 1, Bureau of High Speed Rail Director-General Pang Chia-hua (龐家驊) said yesterday. The proposed increase in the number and speed of trains would be the second adjustment by the THSRC after an earlier adjustment made in late March, Pang said, adding that the Ministry of Transportation and Communications should approve the new schedule this week. A majority of the six additional trains would be scheduled for non-rush hours for balanced operation, he said. Travel time on the Taipei-Kaohsiung route with only one stop in Taichung would improve from 100 minutes to 96 minutes, he said, while those that stop at every station between Taipei and Kaohsiung would have their running time shortened from 130 minutes to 120 minutes. Departure times will be adjusted accordingly, with the first train leaving Taipei at 7am instead of 6:50am.

■ Tourism
Flowers, tea selling points
As the nation tries to double the number of foreign tourists, lawmakers yesterday urged the government to take advantage of high-end local farm products to promote tourism. During a legislative committee meeting, various lawmakers issued the call and asked Council of Agriculture Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) to step up promotion of local flowers and tea to help sell tourism to the international community. Local farmers grow high quality flowers and tea and the government should consider focusing on local speciality goods, they said. Saying that the nation must seek to highlight its advantages, they said that tour packages featuring good tea and colorful flowers would provide a new experience for tourists.

■ Politics
Bill upsets lawmakers
Democratic Progressive Party legislators William Lai (賴清德) and Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌), who represent Tainan City and Taichung County constituencies, yesterday urged the central government to address what they called an imbalance in resource distribution between northern Taiwan and central and southern Taiwan. The appeal was made after an amendment was passed that would allow Taipei County to be upgraded to the status of a special municipality, meaning that a much larger amount of central government funding could be allotted to the county. Lai called for a "merger" of Tainan City and County and to upgrade the area to the status of a special municipality, while Tsai made the same request for Taichung City and County.

■ Health
Enterovirus death confirmed
The Department of Health confirmed on Wednesday this year's first fatality due to enterovirus complications. The victim was a baby girl who developed flatulence shortly after birth in Yunlin on April 26, health officials said. The girl developed a fever and became restless on April 29, and was transferred to a Chiayi hospital the next day before dying of sepsis on May 2. The department, after examining a specimen taken from the girl, confirmed that she was infected with echovirus 6, an enterovirus. Chou Chih-hao (周志浩), deputy director of the Center for Disease Control, said that there was no immediate risk of an enterovirus outbreak, but because the means of infection was not yet known the public should be on their guard. Enterovirus is most prevalent in Taiwan between April and October.

■ Customs
Cops claim large ivory haul
A large haul of what officials suspect to be ivory was seized by aviation police at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday. Police found it in the check-in luggage of a 52-year-old man. The man admitted that he bought it more than a decade ago, before the Wildlife Conservation Law (野生動物保育法) was passed by the government. As a friend in Beijing was interested in purchasing it, he had planned to deliver it in person, he said. A pair of what were suspected to be tusks had been cut into four pieces, about 1m long, with a weight of approximately 60kg, which would make it the largest ivory haul in years if it proves to be genuine. Aviation police said they had turned the material over to the authorities for further examination and, if it proves to be genuine, the man will be prosecuted.


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