■HEALTH
DOH to provide flu shots
The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday announced that it would provide free flu inoculations for people with high risks of infection beginning on Wednesday. The targeted groups are those aged 65 and over, children aged six months to three years, children enrolled in their first to fourth year of elementary school, healthcare and quarantine workers and workers in the poultry and livestock industries, said Shih Wen-yi (施文儀), deputy director-general of the Center for Disease Control. The center has prepared 2.865 million doses for adults and 355,000 doses for children. Those who have inquiries can call the bureau’s 24-hour toll free hotline: 1922.
■DIPLOMACY
US visa prices to increase
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) announced yesterday that because of the recent shift in the exchange rate between the US dollar and the New Taiwan dollar, and in keeping with the global US non-immigrant visa processing fee, AIT would increase its visa processing fee effective this Monday from NT$4,100 to NT$4,300. All applicants for the visas who pay the visa processing fee on or after Monday must show a receipt for NT$4,300. Applicants who paid the visa processing fee before Monday may still submit receipts for NT$4,100. The US non-immigrant visa processing fee remains at US$131. Applicants who paid the previous fee of US$100 prior to Jan. 1, must pay an additional NT$1,000.
■CRIME
Policeman kills himself
A police officer in Chiayi County jumped to his death from the 7th floor of his police precinct in an apparent suicide early yesterday morning, Chiayi police said later in the day. Police suspect the 56-year-old officer, surnamed Huang, committed suicide because of severe pressure in his personal life, said Wang Yu-chun (王育群), supervisor of the Chiayi County Police Department. Wang said that Huang had taken out around NT$1 million (US$31,000) in loans from three banks on behalf of a friend and that he was caring for a 28-year-old daughter who has been bedridden since a serious car accident four years ago. The suicide occurred at around 1:30am, Wang said, adding that Huang died at the scene. Investigators found a pair of shoes belonging to Huang and half a bottle of kaoliang liquor on the roof of the police precinct, Wang said. They also found a journal in the drawer of his desk detailing the loans.
■EDUCATION
MOE stresses the classics
The Ministry of Education (MOE) announced yesterday plans to increase the number of Chinese literature classes and the percentage of classical Chinese literary works in the nation’s high school curriculum. Vice Education Minister Wu Tsai-shun (吳財順) told reporters in the ministry that the number of Chinese literature classes offered in high school had been reduced to four sessions per week in the curriculum guidelines published in 2006 year. The amount of classical Chinese literature in high school Chinese literature textbooks has dropped to 45 percent, Wu said. “What we are certain now is that classical Chinese literary works will account for more than 45 percent of the content of high school Chinese literature textbooks,” Wu said. Wu said the ministry would also make Analects of Confucius (論語) and the Works of Mencius (孟子), both of which were optional under previous regulations, required reading for high school students.
NATIONAL SECURITY: Authorities are working to confirm the identities of the military personnel involved and investigating possible illegal conduct and regulatory violations Authorities are probing possible national security implications after Kinmen police and immigration officers on Sunday found a Chinese woman allegedly posing as a tourist while engaging in prostitution involving more than 10 military personnel. The woman, surnamed Chen (陳), has since been deported, authorities said, adding that investigators are still working to confirm the identities of those implicated, as the records only listed code names and aliases. The case stemmed from a report received by the Kinmen District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday last week from the Jinhu Precinct of the Kinmen County Police Bureau. On Sunday, police, along with the National Immigration
GLOBALGIVING: ‘ Caving to external pressure is not acceptable for an organization that has cultivated justice reform and human rights for 30 years,’ one NGO said A slew of non-government organizations (NGOs) have withdrawn from the GlobalGiving fundraising platform after it announced it would use “Chinese Taipei” instead of “Taiwan” from next month. The Taiwan Good Rice Association wrote on Facebook on Friday that it was informed on April 28 via a teleconference call of the change, which was made because the platform wanted to operate in China. Taiwan Good Rice is to terminate all cooperative relationships with GlobalGiving in response to the platform’s “unilateral and non-negotiable” decision to remove references to Taiwan, the NGO said. “Taiwan is in the official name of Taiwan Good Rice Association and the
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
MULTIPRONGED APPROACH: China has sought to pressure Palau across a number of fronts, but the island nation has staunchly resisted overtures to ditch Taiwan Palau has been firm in backing Taiwan despite Chinese pressure that uses tourism economics, cyberattacks and criminal infiltration as tools to threaten the Pacific ally into renouncing its recognition of Taiwan as a sovereign state. The Presidential Office yesterday announced that Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) would visit Palau from Saturday to Wednesday next week at the invitation of Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. Whipps in April said in an interview that China had outspokenly asked Palau to “denounce Taiwan.” “And we have said: ‘We have no enemies, but nobody tells us who our friends are,’” he said. Whipps has told reporters multiple times
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