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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ CRIME

Death in Mauritania

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still trying to confirm the country of origin of a fishing boat that reportedly contained two frozen corpses, ministry spokesman Henry Chen (陳銘政) said yesterday in response to a wire report that the bodies were found on a Taiwanese vessel while docked at a Mauritius harbor. An Agence France-Presse report from Port Louis, Mauritius, said the bodies were discovered on a Taiwanese fishing boat on Monday during a raid. Mauritanian authorities have arrested the captain and three crew members of the Jiu Yin vessel for questioning. “We have already contacted our representative office in South Africa to determine whether it is a Taiwanese boat. If so, we will provide immediate assistance to help the men with the case,” Chen said. Tests are still under way to determine the cause of death.



■ ADMINISTRATION

Fee cancelations extended

The Cabinet said yesterday it would extend a freeze on all administrative and user fees charged by its agencies until the end of the year, as part of government efforts to control inflation. The freeze covers more than 3,000 types of fees, including fuel surcharges, passport and visa fees and license fees. A similar measure, which expired at the end of last month, was announced in March by then premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄). Government statistics showed that the consumer price index spiked 3.71 percent year-on-year in May and 3.66 percent year-on-year for the first five months of this year, driven mainly by hikes in fuel and food prices. To curb inflation, the central bank raised its key interest rates by 0.125 percentage points last week, pushing the discount rate up to 3.625 percent, the rate on accommodations with collateral to 4 percent and the rate on accommodations without collateral to 5.875 percent.



■ CULTURE

Council picks performers

The Council for Cultural Affairs has selected 25 domestic performing arts groups for a grassroots tour around the country starting on July 20, the council said in a news release yesterday. The 25 troupes, covering the fields of music, dance, contemporary drama and traditional Chinese opera, were selected from 144 groups that had applied to participate in the annual tour. The council has sponsored the “Performing Arts Grassroots Tour” around the country since 1997 to stage free performances to encourage public participation in the arts and promote cultural appreciation. The council has presented 1,300 performances by local art groups in 319 townships nationwide under its annual program over the past 11 years.



■ POLITICS

DPP to hold fundraiser

The Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) Kaohsiung city chapter will hold a fundraising dinner next Sunday, with the aim of raising NT$6 million (US$196,600). Chen Cheng-wen (陳政聞), who assumed directorship of the chapter last Saturday, said the NT$10,000-a-plate fundraising dinner is part of party’s plan to strengthen its weak financial position after losing power to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) this year. Chen said he would tap party officials, mayor, legislators and city councilors to assist in the fundraising. He said he had mapped out a plan for building a solid grassroots organization, saying the party would install a chief in each district and a commissioner in each borough, the smallest administrative district in the city.



■ EVENTS

AIT to hold English camp

The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) has organized for Taiwanese youth aged eight to 15 to participate in an English Summer Camp on Saturday, an event to be held in celebration of the US’ Independence Day tomorrow. “The event aims to increase awareness of American society, culture and values,” the AIT said in a press release. “It will include programs focused on American baseball, American culture and holidays,” as well as stories about American Indians. The activity, co-sponsored by Providence University’s Foreign Language Center and Chinese Professional Baseball League, will be held at the Taichung American Corner for Aboriginal high school students and at Providence University for elementary school students, the press release said.



■ POLITICS

DPP leaders to meet Ma

All heads of cities and counties in southern Taiwan under Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) governance will take part in a meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) today, Tainan County Commissioner Su Huan-chih (蘇煥智) said. Su said a consensus was reached late on Tuesday among heads of local governments who are DPP members to proceed to Taipei today to talk with the new president over tea. The southern cities and counties with DPP local chiefs include Yunlin County, Chiayi County, Tainan City, Tainan County, Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung County and Pingtung County. The Presidential Office has extended invitations to all local chiefs of the country’s 25 cities and counties recently to have talks with Ma over tea today, but DPP mayors and county commissioners in southern Taiwan remained undecided until Tuesday on whether to attend the meeting.
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