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Taiwan News Quick Take

■ POLITICS

Get well Chen: government

The Presidential Office yesterday denounced violence and wished former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) a speedy recovery after he was kicked on his way to a court hearing to defend himself in a defamation lawsuit on Monday. Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) condemned all forms of violence, including physical and verbal. The office hopes Chen recovers quickly, he said. Chen was kicked in the hip by Su An-sheng (蘇安生), a 65-year-old man, as he entered Taipei District Court. Su is believed to be a member of the pro-unification Patriot Association. Chen appeared in court on Monday to defend himself in a defamation suit brought by personnel connected to the purchase of Lafayette frigates in 1990. Chen went to National Taiwan University Hospital, where doctors found that his tailbone had been fractured. Chen said on Tuesday he would take legal action against Su.



■ DEFENSE

Air Force offers air show

The Air Force will organize an air show during its open house tomorrow at Chihang Base in Taitung County. Air Force officials said a variety of weapons and aircraft would be displayed at the base, while pilots would perform air shows in jet fighters and helicopters. The activities will begin at 8:30am and end at 4pm.



■ CULTURE

Hakka contest logo wanted

The Council for Hakka Affairs has invited the public to participate in a “Hakka Family” logo design contest. The “Hakka Family” is an award designed by the council to honor families with two, three or four generations having passed the Hakka proficiency test. This is the award’s first year and the council is calling for submissions of logo designs for the contest. The first-place winner will be awarded a NT$100,000 (US$3,300) cash prize, the second-place winner will receive NT$50,000 and the third-place winner NT$30,000. All works must be submitted to the council no later than Aug. 15. More information is available on the council’s Web site.



■ POLITICS

Wang dismisses TV report

Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) yesterday denied an ETTV report that said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (劉兆玄) had visited People First Party Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) on Wednesday to discuss nominating him as president of the Examination Yuan. Wang said Ma and Liu called on Soong only “to visit an old friend” they hadn’t seen for a while and had not discussed nominating him. Ma’s original nominee for the position, Chang Chun-yen (張俊彥), dropped out of the legislative confirmation vote earlier this month following allegations that he accepted payments from Polaris Securities Co (寶來證券) during his time as president of National Chiao Tung University.



■ CULTURE

Human rights book launched

A press conference was held yesterday at Soochow University in Taipei to launch the book A Borrowed Voice: Taiwan Human Rights through International Networks, 1960-1980, which chronicles the struggle of human rights activists to get information about political prisoners during the Martial Law era to the outside world. The book is co-authored by Linda Gail Arrigo and Lynn Miles. Speaking to the Taipei Times, Arrigo said the authors were looking for donations to ship the book to as many US libraries as possible. People interested in buying the book can email Arrigo at linda2007@tmu.edu.tw.

■ EDUCATION

Students visit art exhibition

First lady Chow Mei-ching (周美青) accompanied 38 schoolchildren from the Paiwan tribe who came to Taipei at her invitation to see an art exhibition yesterday. The youths were students from Taiwu Elementary School in Pingtung County’s Taiwu Township (泰武). On her visit to the school earlier this month, Chow, a volunteer with the Dwen An Social Welfare Foundation, was impressed at the talent exhibited in the students’ wood sculptures. To introduce them to more art, she invited them to take the high-speed rail from Kaohsiung to Taipei to see an exhibition from the Musee d’Orsay in Paris. The exhibition opened at the National Museum of History in late May and will run through Sept. 5.



■ DEFENSE

Ministry confirms bomb tests

The Ministry of National Defense said yesterday it is testing a smart bomb that could destroy the runways of air bases along the southeast coast of China. The military stressed it has no immediate plan to put the weapon, a domestic version of the AGM-154 US Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW), into production. “The Wan Chien cluster bomb is in the testing and inspection phase and far from mass production. Actually, we have yet to make any decision on whether to mass produce it or not,” ministry spokeswoman Major General Lisa Chi (池玉蘭) said. Her comments came after a plane enthusiast posted a photo of a Taiwanese fighter carrying two of the bombs during a training exercise on the Internet. The smart bomb contains 100 bomblets designed to crater runways. Taiwanese military experts said the aim of the development of the smart bomb was to send a message to China that Taiwan would be able to counteract its air force.


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