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Taiwan Quick Take

■ POLITICS
Official berated for club visit
Minister of National Defense Lee Tien-yu (李天羽) said yesterday that Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Vice Admiral Shen Po-chi (申伯之) had been given two minor demerits for leading a naval delegation to a strip club during a stay in Honolulu, Hawaii, five years ago. Lee made the remarks during a visit to the Taiwan Solidarity Union legislative caucus. He added that other officials who joined the trip to the club had also been disciplined. The accusation against Shen was made by a retired Navy captain Wang Chih-peng (王志鵬).

■ INVENTIONS
Local products win medals
Taiwanese products won 15 gold medals at the Invention and New Product Exposition (INPEX) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Taiwan Inventors Association chairman Chen Chug-tai said on Sunday. Chen said Taiwanese products also won 18 silver medals, 10 bronzes and five special awards at the show, held from last Wednesday to Saturday. The exhibition, the largest invention trade fair in the US, has entered its 23rd year and was attended this year by exhibitors from more than 20 countries occupying 275 booths. Taiwan's delegation from enterprises, colleges, universities and research institutes operated 19 stalls at the show and took part in 144 competitions with its 27 original inventions, Chen said, adding that one product could be entered in different categories. Products that won gold medals included body-shaping underwear, a multifunctional folding chair, solar street lights and a fire extinguisher, Chen said. Chen said Taiwanese inventors participate in the INPEX every year and have an excellent record for winning awards.

■ DIPLOMACY
AIT's Burghardt set to visit
Raymond Burghardt, chairman of the Board of Trustees of the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), is scheduled to visit Taipei tomorrow to meet local AIT staff members. During his stay in Taiwan, Burghardt will also visit representatives of the Taiwanese and US business communities. It is Burghardt's second trip to the country since being appointed AIT chairman in February last year. Burghardt was the director of the AIT's Taipei office from 1999 to 2001. He has served as US ambassador to Vietnam and US consul-general in Shanghai, and has worked in US embassies in Asia and Latin America as a high-ranking diplomat. Burghardt has also served in the US National Security Council. He currently heads the East-West Seminars at the East-West Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.

■ SOCIETY
`Reunion' visitors screened
All Chinese spouses of Taiwanese nationals who apply to make their first "reunion visit" to Taiwan will have to produce a clean bill of health from Sept. 1, a National Immigration Agency (NIA) official said yesterday. The official said the Department of Health decided to impose the new requirement after a Chinese spouse who had come to Taiwan for a "reunion visit" was diagnosed as having tuberculosis (TB). The TB-infected Chinese spouse living in eastern Taiwan didn't develop symptoms until some time after her arrival in Taiwan, the official said. Only Chinese citizens who apply to stay in Taiwan as a dependent of their local spouse are currently required to present a clean bill of health. Chinese spouses have to wait for two years before they can apply to stay in Taiwan as a dependent.

■ JUSTICE
Nose-picking compensation
A man surnamed Chiang was awarded NT$600,000 (US$18,100) in compensation by the Taipei District Court for a car accident that fractured his left hand, in part because he can no longer enjoy his favorite hobby -- nose-picking. In its decision, the court said that Chiang's hand injury had forced him to leave his construction job for an administrative position, a move that resulted in a net loss of income. The court also upheld Chiang's claim that his arm injury negatively affected his life, making it impossible for him to hold his child or even pick his nose, a favorite pastime of his. The court emphasized that the loss of Chiang's nose-picking ability was only a small consideration in its decision. Beside the injury to his left hand, Chiang also suffered abrasions to his face. Chiang had originally sued for NT$3.7 million.

■ WEATHER
Heavy rainfall exacts toll
The heavy rain that began last week around the nation has resulted in agricultural losses of more than NT$106 million (US$3.2 million), statistics released yesterday by the Council of Agriculture showed. Miaoli County registered the heaviest losses, at NT$43 million, followed by Changhua County at NT$32 million, Hsinchu County at NT$10 million and Yunlin County, with losses worth more than NT$8 million. The Central Disaster Emergency Operation Center reported that between midnight on Sunday until 7am yesterday, Wanluan Township (萬巒) in Pingtung County received 59mm of rainfall, the highest precipitation level recorded anywhere in the country for the period. Taliao (大寮), in Kaohsiung County, Nanchou (南州) in Pingtung County, Pingtung City and Tungshan (東山) in Ilan County had precipitation levels ranging from 22.5mm to 53.5mm.


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