National Security Bureau (NSB) Director Tsai Chao-ming (蔡朝明) said yesterday that the SARS virus was part of China’s biochemical warfare program.
“We have information indicating that the SARS virus was a biochemical warfare formula, and United Nations experts had the same intelligence as that obtained by the NSB,” he told the legislature’s Foreign and National Defense Committee.
Tsai made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲).
Meanwhile, Tsai told DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) that the police would provide security for Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait (ARATS) Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林) during his visit to Taiwan, not the bureau’s security detail.
Tsai Chao-ming said protests could be expected during Chen’s visit but the bureau was confident that his safety could be ensured.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Ching-hua (李慶華) asked Tsai Chao-ming if he supported President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) decision to invite Chen to visit Taiwan.
Tsai Chao-ming said the decision was the government’s to make and his bureau was willing to provide the necessary security.
Late last night the bureau issued a statement denying Tsai's remarks on SARS matter. The bureau said Tsai had been misunderstood.
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
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