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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ DIPLOMACY

Chen hopes for US stopover

Taipei is negotiating with Washington for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to make a transit stop on his way to Guatemala later this month, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) Representative in Washington Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said on Thursday. Wu said TECRO had already made the request and hoped the US could provide necessary assistance according to the principles of "safety, comfort, convenience and dignity." Chen will start his journey on Jan. 13 and hopes to make a stopover in the US on the same day. He will attend the inauguration ceremony of Guatemalan President-elect Alvare Colom on Jan. 14. He is also scheduled to visit Saint Lucia before returning to Taiwan on Jan. 20.



■ DIPLOMACY

Brazil rebuts visa denial

Brazilian representative to Taiwan Sergio Abi-Sad told Formosa TV in an interview at the Brazil Business Center yesterday that his country was just "being selective" in issuing visas during the peak tourism season and had not denied Taiwanese applications because of "political reasons." "It's just we have to be careful. It's the peak of summer in Brazil, and you can imagine there are lots of bad people who like to go there to mingle or do wrong things," he said. Abi-Sad made the remarks in response to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement urging the Brazilian government to resume issuing tourist visas to Taiwanese. The ministry said Brazil had stopped issuing visas to Taiwanese nationals since late last month and the measure only targeted Taiwan. However, in response to a Taipei Times' inquiry by telephone about a visa application, a staffer said that "the center has suspended issuing tourist visas since late December."



■ EDUCATION

MOE warns `China Times'

The Ministry of Education yesterday threatened to sue the Chinese-language China Times unless it runs a correction today on a story about Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng's (杜正勝) bicycle tour. The ministry said that the two-day bike trip led by Tu beginning yesterday morning in Taipei was the first stage in the ministry's effort to promote physical fitness among schoolchildren. Tu is scheduled to ride from Taipei City to Luotung Township (羅東) in Ilan County, stopping at several schools along the way to gain a better understanding of education at the grassroots level, the ministry said. The China Times report yesterday said Tu had ordered each school to dispatch several students to ride with him along part of the route.



■ health

Blood donation month starts

Taiwan Blood Services Foundation yesterday announced the start of its "blood donation month" and urged the public to donate generously to prepare for a period of high demand because of increased surgeries. Foundation chairman Lin Kuo-hsin (林國信) told a news conference that the blood volume in six donation centers in the country was enough for one week. However, he said that the number of donors tends to drop dramatically during the Lunar New Year holiday, winter vacation or cold days -- coinciding with periods when demand is high as doctors perform more surgeries to accommodate their patients' schedule. Chen Dao-yu (陳道怡), who was also at the news briefing, thanked the generosity of past blood donors. Chen, 25, said she has received blood transfusions regularly since childhood because she suffers from Mediterranean anemia.



■ HEALTH

Post-stroke device unveiled

A research team at National Cheng Kung University in Tainan City has developed thermal stimulation devices to aid post-stroke recovery, university sources said on Thursday. The instrument, invented by Shaw Fu-zen (蕭富仁), an associate professor at the university's Institute of Cognitive Science, is said to be capable of providing greater effect than tactile or vibration stimulation therapy in rehabilitating the functions of stroke patents' upper limbs. Shaw said that the thermal stimulation device deploys high and low temperatures alternately to stimulate a patient's hands, revitalizing the areas of the brain that control hand and arm movement. University officials said Shaw deliberately picked low-cost materials when designing his device to make the therapy affordable for people with limited finances. They said a first-generation thermal stimulator is already slated for mass production.



■ LABOR

Employment rules changed

The Council of Labor Affairs on Thursday promulgated an amendment to regulations governing the employment of foreign workers to better protect their rights. Council officials said the Regulations on the Permission and Administration of the Employment of Foreign Workers (外國專業人 員工作�? was amended to require that employers must pay monthly wages in full directly to foreign workers after deducting health and labor insurance fees, room and board expenses and income tax. The officials added that the amendment is also intended to ensure that dormitories provided by employers are safe. A new provision added to the regulations stipulates that employers who hire foreign workers for construction, manufacturing or caretaking work must submit documents to local government authorities within three days of the worker's entry to Taiwan to prove that their lodgings are legally permitted structures. The amendment also relaxes restrictions on foreign students seeking employment by no longer requiring them to complete two semesters of related courses of study or at least one year of related language training.
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