■ POLITICS
Tourist permits criticized
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Chun-yee (李俊毅) yesterday criticized the Immigration Bureau for issuing two groups of Chinese tourists permits to enter the country after they arrived at Kaohsiung International Airport on Wednesday. Because they did not have permits to enter Taiwan before departing China, the Immigration Bureau issued permits to the tourists when they arrived in Kaohsiung, Lee said. Lee said the bureau had jeopardized the country’s sovereignty, security and public health, and had treated Taiwan like it was part of China. DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (鄭文燦) said the Immigration Bureau’s conduct was equal to granting Chinese tourists visa on arrival, which is against regulations.
■ HEALTH
Official raises drywall alert
Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Secretary-General Lin Jih-jia (林志嘉) yesterday urged the government to examine whether drywall products imported from China last year contained harmful chemicals. Lin called the government’s attention to news reports from the US that defective drywall products imported from China and used by US builders in more than 100,000 homes posed a health hazard to homeowners and apartment dwellers. Citing customs data, Lin said Taiwan imported 840 tonnes of drywall products from China last year. “If the drywall material is tainted, 12,000 households in Taiwan could have been affected,” he said, adding that the government should adopt emergency measures to determine whether the drywall products imported from China contained harmful substances.
■ EDUCATION
Prosecutors donate money
Since the beginning of the year, the Chiayi Prosecutors’ Office has given scholarships to 150 students using money taken from criminals, a source said on Thursday. Money for the scholarships — which ranges from NT$1,000 per semester for each elementary school student to NT$2,000 per semester for each junior high school — came from fines paid to the Chiayi Prosecutors Office by perpetrators of minor offenses for deferred prosecution. The scholarship program began in 2007, benefiting 90 poor students that year, said a worker with the Hsin Kang Foundation of Culture and Education (HKFCE), which participates in the program. Starting in 2006, the Chiayi Prosecutors’ Office began providing charitable groups with money to help pay for social services to local residents, he said. The aim is to help children from low-income families stay in school, he said.
■ SOCIETY
Hakka outlet opens
The Council for Hakka Affairs yesterday inaugurated the nation’s first permanent Hakka merchandise outlet, featuring certified Taiwanese Hakka products at the Taiwan Handicraft Center in Taipei. Council Minister Huang Yu-chen (黃玉振) said at the inauguration ceremony that the outlet would provide a marketing channel for about 300 domestic businesses that produce more than 500 items with a touch of Taiwan’s Hakka culture. He said all merchandise sold at the outlet had met the council’s quality control standards and was awarded the “Hakka Taiwan” recognition stamp. Eleven more outlets will be opened nationwide this year. “We’re also in discussions with some trade fair organizers about the possibility of presenting certified Hakka Taiwan merchandise to the international market,” Huang said.
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
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday briefed her party’s Central Standing Committee regarding her scheduled visit to the US between Monday next week and June 16, saying that her purpose would be to persuade the US that the Republic of China (ROC) Constitution was a “one China” constitution that would foster stable and peaceful cross-strait relations. The ROC Constitution is the most important defense for all Taiwanese citizens, as it upholds our democracy and has contributed to our robust economy, which aligns with international and US interests, she said. “We would not be troublemakers and drag the US under,”
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