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Taiwan Quick Take

■ DEFENSE
Wen Ha-hsiung dies
Former commander-in-chief of the Combined Service Force General Wen Ha-hsiung (溫哈熊) died from cardiopulmonary failure in Taipei on Saturday, his family members said. He was 85. Wen, a graduate of the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, acted as Chiang Ching-kuo's (蔣經國) chief aide when Chiang was defense minister. Wen was famous for covering Chiang with his body when an assassin tried to shoot him during a 1970 visit to the US. In 1982, Wen was promoted to chief of the Defense Procurement and Service Coordination Mission in Washington. He was named chief of the Combined Service Force in 1984 and retired from that post in 1989. He fell out with the Chiang family for talking about their private matters in his oral history published by Academia Sinica in 1997.

■ SOCIETY
Taipei Zoo opens carnival
An animal carnival has opened at Taipei Zoo to raise public awareness on wildlife conservation and environmental protection. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said the carnival would allow student visitors to enjoy their summer vacation while promoting the concepts of wildlife conservation, animal rights promotion and environmental protection. Hau said that during the summer heat, animals always hide in their shelters, which means that people seldom get to see their favorite animals. He said this was why the zoo had decided to extend its opening hours to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays this month and next month, which would enable visitors to enjoy a cooler, happier visit to the zoo. Meanwhile, in collaboration with Taipei Rapid Transit Corp, visitors to Taipei Zoo will be able to use their EasyCard to pay the entrance fee.

■ CRIME
Where the danger lies
HIV-positive drug-addicts who are still at large are more dangerous than the prisoners scheduled to be released from prison today, correction officers from the Tainan Prison said yesterday. A total of 10,969 prison inmates will be eligible for immediate release as a sentence commutation statute comes into force today. Of the total, as many as 4,878 prisoners were offenders under the narcotics control act. Of them, 635 are HIV-positive, Ministry of Justice officials said. The Tainan Prison authorities said they were not particularly worried about the imminent release of the individuals, as the latter will remain under close observation by health authorities following their release. Other offenders against the narcotics control act will also be tracked on a regular basis to prevent recidivism, correction officers said.

■ CRIME
Smuggling route discovered
Following the discovery of several cases of cars stolen in Taiwan for removal to China via the small direct links, the Kaohsiung Customs Office said over the weekend that it, in collaboration with coastal patrol authorities, would crack down on this type of crime. Kaohsiung Customs officials said that on two occasions investigators had discovered stolen car parts aboard two domestic container ships in Shuitou (水頭) and Liaoluo (料羅) ports in February and May. The parts were components of four high-end disassembled sedans that were being shipped from Taiwan to China through Kinmen. Police subsequently discovered parts and components for Mercedes Benz cars in Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties that were ready for shipping to China.

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