■ SOCIETY
Chinese gets extended stay
The Mainland Affairs Council agreed yesterday to extend the period of stay for a Chinese national who requested political asylum in Taiwan two days ago. During a news conference on Monday, Wu Yalin (吳亞林), who arrived in Taiwan with a group of Chinese tourists on Dec. 27, asked the government to grant him asylum. Wu said he was wanted by Chinese authorities for his alleged role in the distribution of a Falun Gong book titled Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party (九評共產黨). Council officials said the council had granted Wu "a longer period" of stay on special humanitarian considerations. As to his request for political asylum, they said no decision would be made until all government agencies involved in the matter had met.
■ DIPLOMACY
MOFA praises Solomons
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement yesterday to congratulate the Solomon Islands for its peaceful transfer of power, saying that Taiwan would continue to work with the new government under the principles of reciprocity and mutual benefit. The statement said relations between Taipei and Honiara were expected to remain steady as Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua has been friendly toward Taiwan, while his deputy, Fred Fono, and his foreign affairs and trade minister, William Haomae, have been on good terms with Taipei. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) telephoned Sikua on Thursday to congratulate him on his victory. The ministry said Taiwan would cooperate with Australia and New Zealand to support political and economic development and social stability in the Solomon Islands.
■ ENVIRONMENT
Tainan tackles idling cars
Tainan City became the nation's first city on Tuesday to ban idling vehicles, threatening fines of as much as NT$2,000 for drivers leaving their engine running for more than three minutes when their vehicle is not in use. The anti-idling policy includes fines of NT$500 for motorcycles, NT$1,000 for small automobiles and NT$2,000 for large automobiles. Drivers who try to evade, interfere with or refuse inspections will face a fine ranging from NT$500 to NT$2,000. Inspectors said that Tainan residents were mostly aware of the policy, but drivers from other cities and counties visiting the city seemed unaware that they had to shut down their engine when making a stop lasting more than three minutes.
■ ENVIRONMENT
COA wants more trees
The Council of Agriculture said yesterday that it would promote a tree-planting campaign to help increase the ratio of green land. Council Chairman Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) made the announcement at a year-end news conference and expressed the hope that each person in the country would plant at least one tree during his or her lifetime. Su said that if 10 million people answered the call within five years, the amount of green land could increase by 20,000 hectares, bringing the green land coverage ratio up 0.5 percent to reach 59.09 percent. The tree-planting campaign was seen as a symbol of people's commitment to the earth and the development of a relationship with the land, he said. Su said the council would coordinate with the National Property Administration and Taiwan Sugar Co, as well as with local governments, for land contributions for the project.
■ SOCIETY
Party organizer questioned
A police officer confirmed yesterday that the organizer of a New Year's Eve party at which male dancers in police uniform stripped on stage had been summoned for questioning over the incident. The officer, from the Xinyi precinct of the Taipei Police Department, said civilians who don police uniforms in public might be committing the crime of wearing official ranks and emblems, which is punishable with a fine of up to NT$500, according to the Criminal Code (刑法). The officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his office has asked Jason Tang (唐志中), organizer of the party, to report to the branch for questioning. Videotapes allegedly taken at the party show six male dancers wearing police uniforms dancing with scantily clad female dancers and removing their clothes down to a G-string.
■ SOCIETY
Lotto winner gives NT$26m
A lottery jackpot winner in Taichung City has become the biggest donor in the country's lottery history after donating NT$26 million (US$801,500) to two charitable organizations. Taiwan Lottery Co, a subsidiary of Chinatrust Financial Holding Co, said the anonymous winner, a 23-year-old office worker, bought 10 sets of numbers on Dec. 18 from a lottery store in Taichung and hit a jackpot of NT$320 million. The lucky man asked Taiwan Lottery president Joy Huang (黃瓊儀) to donate NT$25 million to the "Light Up the Fire of Life" fundraising campaign and NT$1 million to the Children Charity Association on his behalf. He also asked Huang to give NT$60,000 to the owner of the lottery stand that sold him the winning ticket.
TRAFFIC SAFETY RULES: A positive result in a drug test would result in a two-year license suspension for the driver and vehicle, and a fine of up to NT$180,000 The Ministry of Transportation and Communications is to authorize police to conduct roadside saliva tests by the end of the year to deter people from driving while under the influence of narcotics, it said yesterday. The ministry last month unveiled a draft of amended regulations governing traffic safety rules and penalties, which included provisions empowering police to conduct mandatory saliva tests on drivers. While currently rules authorize police to use oral fluid testing kits for signs of drug use, they do not establish penalties for noncompliance or operating procedures for officers to follow, the ministry said. The proposed changes to the regulations require
Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung and Taoyuan would issue a decision at 8pm on whether to cancel work and school tomorrow due to forecasted heavy rain, Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang (謝國樑) said today. Hsieh told reporters that absent some pressing reason, the four northern cities would announce the decision jointly at 8pm. Keelung is expected to receive between 300mm and 490mm of rain in the period from 2pm today through 2pm tomorrow, Central Weather Administration data showed. Keelung City Government regulations stipulate that school and work can be canceled if rain totals in mountainous or low-elevation areas are forecast to exceed 350mm in
1.4nm WAFERS: While TSMC is gearing up to expand its overseas production, it would also continue to invest in Taiwan, company chairman and CEO C.C. Wei said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) has applied for permission to construct a new plant in the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區), which it would use for the production of new high-speed wafers, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council, which supervises three major science parks in Taiwan, confirmed that the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau had received an application on Friday from TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, to commence work on the new A14 fab. A14 technology, a 1.4 nanometer (nm) process, is designed to drive artificial intelligence transformation by enabling faster computing and greater power
China Airlines Ltd (CAL) yesterday morning joined SkyTeam’s Aviation Challenge for the fourth time, operating a demonstration flight for “net zero carbon emissions” from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Bangkok. The flight used sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at a ratio of up to 40 percent, the highest proportion CAL has achieved to date, the nation’s largest carrier said. Since April, SAF has become available to Taiwanese international carriers at Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport), Kaohsiung International Airport and Taoyuan airport. In previous challenges, CAL operated “net zero carbon emission flights” to Singapore and Japan. At a ceremony at Taoyuan airport, China Airlines chief sustainability
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