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Taiwan Quick Take

■ AGRICULTURE
Price hike claims probed
The Fair Trade Commission has launched a probe into allegations of vegetable price hikes in Yunlin County. A commission official said the agency was already dealing with vegetable price hikes in the wake of damage inflicted by Typhoon Krosa, which hit Taiwan earlier this month. The commission has sent a team to the fruit and vegetable wholesale market in Yunlin County to look into the allegations. The official said the commission has not found evidence that popular Sanhsing green onions have tripled in price as the media had reported. He explained that the reports might be a result of comparing the prices of green onions from different production areas.

■ SOCIETY
Pageant set for Kaohsiung
The final for this year's Miss Young International beauty pageant will take place in Kaohsiung next Saturday, with 35 contestants from around the world vying for the crown. Taiwan will be represented by Lee Yan-jin (李妍瑾), 22, a runner-up in two beauty pageants in 2005. Contestants will participate in activities in scenic areas of Pingtung County this weekend before arriving in Kaohsiung next Wednesday to prepare for the gala night. The Miss Young International beauty pageant began 37 years ago. Its aim is increase young people's awareness of vital social issues.

■ POLITICS
Lu discusses gender issues
Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) expressed concern yesterday that a new electoral system to be implemented in the January legislative elections would halve the already insufficient number of female politicians. Aside from this, however, Lu said it was good that half of the at-large legislative seats would be reserved for women under the new system. Lu raised the issue at a conference on gender issues in Taichung County, referring to the single-member constituency, two-vote system that will be implemented for the first time. Lu said that 268 members of city and county councils nationwide are women. Only 25 of 319 township and village mayors are women and two of 23 local government chiefs are women, Lu said, urging authorities to work to increase the representation of women in politics. Despite the low rate of participation by women in politics, the high socioeconomic status of the nation's women has received much international recognition, Lu said.

■ CULTURE
History museum launched
The National Museum of Taiwan History in Tainan City will be inaugurated today, after eight years of planning and construction. The museum will focus on research, exhibitions and education concerning the nation's history, a museum spokesman said. In order to provide a wide array of resources for researchers, the museum has gathered historical material from other public museums, private collectors, overseas holdings and surveys. Written materials relating to local history and relations with countries such as the Netherlands, Spain, Japan, China, the US and Britain are among the museum's key collections. The museum has compiled over 40,000 objects or materials related to local history, including maps of Taiwan from the 16th and 17th centuries, agricultural tools, fishing equipment and old photos and films made during the Japanese colonial period. The museum has more than 20,000 books and will display the Compendium of Materials on Taiwanese History, representing years of material collection and publication efforts, at its inauguration ceremony today.

Glass festival in Hsinchu
The Hsinchu International Glass Art Festival is scheduled to run from Feb. 16 through April 20 next year, based on a decision reached yesterday at a preparatory meeting of the Hsinchu City Government. Hsinchu Mayor Lin Junq-tzer (林政則) said the theme of the festival will be "Mermaids Touring the Glass Fairyland." Lin said a "glass art street" in an area that was formerly an air force dependents' village near the Hsinchu Glass Art Museum in Hsinchu Park would remain open from Feb. 2 to May 1. In addition to exhibitions of works by renowned Taiwanese glass artists, there will be music and dance performances to entertain visitors, he said.

■ CULTURE
Disqualification panned
Yeh Chien-chao (葉潛昭), chief of Taiwan's Foreign Language Film Award Selection Committee, said yesterday the committee was disappointed that director Ang Lee's (李安) spy thriller Lust, Caution had been disqualified from competing for a best foreign film Oscar. Taiwanese authorities were informed by the organizers of the Oscars that not enough of the Lust, Caution production crew were Taiwanse for the film to compete on behalf of the nation. But some in Taiwan questioned the decision, saying that Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which also had few Taiwanese in the cast and crew, was allowed to represent Taiwan and went on to win the Oscar for best foreign film.

■ SOCIETY
Media restraint sought
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) has called on local media to exercise restraint in covering the news of a Taiwanese organized crime leader who died abroad but whose body was returned to Taiwan for burial on Thursday. Chen said TV coverage of the return of the body of Chen Chi-li (陳啟禮), the former leader of Taiwan's notorious Bamboo Union underworld syndicate and repeated live broadcasts would not provide a good example for the younger generation. Criminal Investigation Bureau officials yesterday also called for Taiwan's media outlets not to cover Chen Chi-li as if he had ben a folk hero.

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