■ DIPLOMACY
Lu to visit South America
The Presidential Office confirmed yesterday that Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) will visit Latin America next month, but rejected allegations that the trip was "checkbook diplomacy." The Presidential Office issued a statement saying that details of Lu's planned trip to visit diplomatic allies in Central and South America are being arranged by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and that the purpose of the trip is to enhance exchanges and cement diplomatic ties. The statement said Lu's trip was not to dole out money to allies and that reports about "checkbook diplomacy" were full of false allegations, urging the media to stop speculating and to put the nation's diplomatic interests first. The statement was made in response to a report published in yesterday's edition of the Chinese-language China Times.
■ EDUCATION
Skills workshop planned
A training workshop for second-generation overseas Taiwanese to learn skills in international trade -- particularly how to promote Taiwanese products -- is scheduled to open in Taipei on Thursday, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) said yesterday. Forty young men and women from around the world are expected to attend the six-week business workshop organized by TAITRA at the request of the Overseas Compatriot Affairs Commission, TAITRA officials said. TAITRA and commission officials hope that these young Taiwanese descendants from the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Brazil, Paraguay and Southeast Asia will pick up skills in international trade -- including marketing, international business norms and business communications -- after receiving intensive training at the 38-day workshop.
■ CRIME
Cops name councilor's killer
Taipei County police yesterday identified Lan Chia-wei (藍家偉), 36, as the alleged killer of Taipei County councilor Wu Shan-jeou (吳善九). Police published Lan's photo and said Lan -- who fled to southern Taiwan after the shooting -- is armed and extremely dangerous. Police said they suspect Lan committed the crime and was helped by Banciao gangster Wu Hsin-chung (吳信中), who entered China a couple of days after the crime. Police said that Wu Hsin-chung and his friends had been found to be involved in environmental clean-up businesses and that the murder was probably related to it. Wu Shan-jeou, who was a People First Party (PFP) member, often brought up environmental issues at council meetings. The councilor was gunned down in his office in Sindian (新店), Taipei County, on May 23.
■ POLITICS
Officials dismiss spies story
The Presidential Office yesterday dismissed allegations that President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) revelation of China's missiles targeted at Taiwan in the run-up to the 2004 presidential election led to the arrests of more than 30 Taiwanese spies operating in China. The Presidential Office issued a statement dismissing a story published in yesterday's edition of the Chinese-language China Times as "groundless." The report alleged that Chen disclosed the intelligence in November 2003 in a bid to push the "defensive referendum" and boost his odds of winning the election. The move angered Beijing, which, as a retaliatory measure, arrested more than 30 China-based Taiwanese businesspeople.
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