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Taiwan Quick Take

■ OLYMPICS
Taipei willing to talk
Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) said yesterday that Taipei would be willing to talk with Beijing about next year's Olympic Games but emphasized that Taiwan's sovereignty and integrity must be upheld. Chang said the country hopes to sit down with China and negotiate a way to properly tackle the matter. The guiding principle at the administration is that Taiwan's sovereignty and dignity must be sustained, Chang said. Chang made the remarks in response to Beijing's move to downgrade Taiwan's sovereignty by calling Taiwan "Taipei, China" and not "Chinese Taipei" as Taiwan is called in the Olympic Games according to an 1989 agreement. China received a warning from the International Olympic Committee, which asked Beijing to abide by the 1989 agreement.

■ SPORTS
Meet in Changhua County
Changhua County has been chosen to host the 2011 National Athletic Meet. Changhua County Commissioner Cho Po-yuan (卓伯源) inked the contract at a ceremony with Yang Chung-ho (楊忠和), head of the Sports Affairs Council. Cho said the Changhua County Government will call on the public to provide "100 creative ideas" to make the 2011 athletic meet a memorable event, as that year will be the Republic of China's 100th anniversary. The event will be the first major athletic meet in Changhua County in 26 years, after hosting a Taiwan Area Athletic Meet in 1985. The National Athletic Meet has been held every two years since 1999, when it replaced the Taiwan Area Athletic Meet, which had taken place annually since 1974. This year's National Athletic Meet will be held in Tainan, while the 2009 event will take place in Taichung.

■ JUDICIARY
Chen wants receipts back
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday asked the Taipei District Court to return within five days all materials collected as evidence in the "state affairs fund" case investigation. The Presidential Office issued a statement last night saying Chen filed the request yesterday afternoon, asking the return of receipts which the president claimed had been obtained without his consent and without following legal procedures. The testimony Chen gave prosecutors and other evidence relating to the case must also be returned because the disclosure of such information would put national security and interest at risk, the statement said. It added that the Council of Grand Justices had already ruled that the president enjoys "state secret privilege" and therefore has the right to refuse to surrender such evidence to court.

■ CULTURE
Kaohsiung offers street music
The Kaohsiung City Government's Bureau of Cultural Affairs has signed up musicians to stage street performances over the next three weekends, a spokesman for the bureau announced on Wednesday. The spokesman said Kaohsiung residents were invited to enjoy live music performances at the Pier-2 Art Center, a former warehouse at Kaohsiung harbor. First to appear on the stage tomorrow and on Sunday will be the Kaohsiung Philharmonic Brass Ensemble. The ensemble will play Bach's Minuet, Casablanca, Quandoquando, Yesterday on Cemore and the theme song of the movie C'est la Vie, Mon Cheri.


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