■ VISAS
US visas NT$100 cheaper
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced yesterday that it will reduce its non-immigrant visa processing fee from NT$3,400 to NT$3,300, effective next Monday. The AIT said the reduction was the result of recent shifts in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the NT dollar. Because the adjustment is being made on the basis of exchange rate shifts and not changes to underlying visa processing costs or fee structures, the AIT said there would be no refunds for the extra NT$100 before next Monday.
■ AVIATION
No change to air subsidies
The Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) announced yesterday that it would continue to subsidize domestic airlines that provide regular flights for passengers who are registered residents of Kinmen, Matsu and Penghu. According to the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), airlines can receive a subsidy equivalent to 20 percent of the ticket price for each Kinmen, Matsu or Penghu resident they carry. The announcement came after the administration said last week that it was considering canceling or reducing the subsidies, as some airlines were offering their passengers 50 percent ticket discounts. A statement issued by the CAA yesterday said that the administration would continue to monitor price changes closely and check to see if the deals fall within the legally acceptable range.
■ POLITICS
Tuoh pans former legislator
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative whip Wang Tuoh (王拓) yesterday lambasted former DPP legislator Shen Fu-hsiung (沈富雄) for calling on the public to vote against DPP presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) if the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) wins 60 percent of the legislative seats in January. Shen, who has been vocal about his disappointment with his former party, said Taiwan would succumb to another eight years of "chaos" if the KMT party wins a majority in the legislature and the DPP wins the presidential office. Wang called Shen's statement illogical and called KMT presidential hopeful Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) a liar and a poor leader. Wang said Ma had been indoctrinated by his late father, a KMT pro-unification stalwart, and would never work toward security and prosperity for Taiwan.
■ SOCIETY
Chen plugs policy
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday said that building an environment that is suited to the needs of the handicapped and protecting the rights of the mentally and physically challenged had always been a priority of his administration. In a speech delivered at the 18th Asian Conference on Mental Retardation yesterday morning at the Grand Hotel in Taipei, Chen said there was still room for improvement despite what had been achieved. Chen said it was the goal of his administration to defend the welfare of the mentally and physically challenged and promote opportunities for participating in the wider community. Chen said that was the reason the Democratic Progressive Party had placed Chen Chieh-ju (陳節如), the deputy chairwoman of the Parents' Association for People with Intellectual Disability, at the top of its list of legislator-at-large candidates for the legislative elections in January.
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
A magnitude 4.1 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 2:23pm today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was 5.4 kilometers northeast of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 34.9 km, according to the CWA. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was the highest in Hualien County, where it measured 2 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 1 in Yilan county, Taichung, Nantou County, Changhua County and Yunlin County, the CWA said. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
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