■ EVENTS
BaLiwakes remembered
The Council for Cultural Affairs and the National Center for Traditional Arts will host two concerts on Saturday in commemoration of Puyuma tribe musician BaLiwakes, better known by his Chinese name Lu Shen-pao (陸森寶). BaLiwakes was born in 1910 and was trained in Western music. However, he insisted on writing his lyrics in the Puyuma language, council vice-chairman Wu Chin-fa (吳錦發) said during a press conference at the council to promote the concerts and to launch a biography of BaLiwakes. "He not only passed on his music, but also many poetic words and sentences in the Puyuma language" long lost in modern speech, Wu said. The concerts will be held from 6pm to 9:30pm on Saturday at the Tien Education Center Chapel in Sindian (新店) and the National Museum of Prehistory in Taitung.
■ EVENTS
Hakka photo exhibit opens
The Council of Hakka Affairs launched the "Hakka Impression 2007" photo exhibition at the National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall yesterday. The changing lifestyle of Hakka over the past century and comparative points of view between two generations of photographers are the themes of the exhibition, council minister Lee Yung-teh (李永得) said at a press conference opening the exhibition. To showcase generational differences, the exhibition includes works by senior Hakka photographers as well as by those from the younger generation. In addition, six non-Hakka photographers were also invited to participate in the exhibition to provide an "outsider's" point of view, a council press release said. The event runs until Nov. 27.
■ DIPLOMACY
Ma to visit Japan
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will visit Japan from Nov. 20 to Nov. 22 to present his policies on economic development, staff from his election campaign said yesterday. Ma, who is expected to meet representatives from Japan's business and political sectors, will be accompanied by KMT Vice Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤), who maintains extensive ties with Japanese political and economic communities, Ma aides said. Last year, Ma visited Japan in his capacity as KMT chairman, the aides said, adding that this time, as a presidential hopeful, Ma would elaborate on his plans to transform Taiwan into a hub for financial services, trade and transportation in the Asia-Pacific region with stable cross-Taiwan Strait relations.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
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