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Taiwan News Quick Take

■CULTURE

Free tickets on offer

The Taipei City Government has invited the public to join a celebration of the birth of Confucius at the Taipei Confucius Temple on Sept. 27 and Sept. 28, and to enjoy a series of traditional rituals and ancient music. Taipei City’s Civil Affairs Department will give out 500 guest passes for a rehearsal ceremony to be held on Sept. 27 and another 500 guest passes for the formal celebration on Sept. 28. Those interested can obtain a pass from the manager’s office at the Taipei Confucius Temple between 2pm and 5pm between Tuesday and Friday next week. The department called on those who have guest passes for the formal ceremony to arrive at the temple before 6am on Sept. 28. The temple will be closed to the general public during the ceremony, which runs from 6am to 8am. For more information call (02) 2592-3934.

■INDUSTRY

Yongkang woos polluters

Tainan County will build an independent waste water treatment system in a new industrial park in Yongkang City (永康市) to allow electroplating firms to avoid polluting the water supply during production. The electroplating sector, a crucial link in the car manufacturing industry, has always been tagged as a “killer” of rivers because it causes water contamination, a county government official said. As a result, many electroplating plants have been operating illegally, he added. To boost the nation’s auto parts manufacturing sector, the local government will help such underground firms to obtain legal status so that they can invest in a designated area of the Yongkang Science and Technology Park where water pollution would not be a problem, the official said, expressing the hope that at least 50 firms would invest in the 9 hectare site near an incinerator in Yongkang City. Waste water from the electroplating firms will be processed in a separate treatment system, which includes independent pipelines and retention pools, and will not be discharged outside the satellite park, the official said.

■DIPLOMACY

Lai arrives in St Kitts

Judicial Yuan President Lai In-jaw (賴英照) arrived in St Kitts and Nevis yesterday as the nation’s special envoy to attend the celebrations for the eastern Caribbean nation’s 25th anniversary of independence. The delegation’s itinerary includes visits to Taiwan’s agricultural missions and the site of the construction of a gymnasium being sponsored by the nation. Lai will also visit the Central American countries of El Salvador and Guatemala to exchange information on judicial systems, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said. St Kitts and Nevis gained independence from Britain in 1983 and has had diplomatic relations with Taiwan ever since.

■HEALTH

Free flu jabs announced

Free influenza inoculations will be offered starting on Oct. 1, with priority groups expanded to include third and fourth graders. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said in a statement that it has purchased 3.2 million doses of flu vaccine for the free inoculations offered to high-risk groups ahead of the high season for flu infections. In the past, priority groups included children aged between six months and three years, those aged 65 or over, medical and epidemic control personnel, bird and poultry industry handlers, and detainees in public and private shelters, as well as first and second-grade school children. This year, third and fourth graders at elementary schools will also be offered the free vaccinations, the statement said.