■ ENVIRONMENT
Heavy dust on the way
People with cardiopulmonary or respiratory diseases should stay indoors and avoid strenuous activities today and tomorrow because Taiwan will be enveloped by heavy dust from Inner Mongolia in China, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said yesterday. “A cold front passed through the northern part of the island today [Saturday], bringing with it air pollutants from Inner Mongolia and central China. The front will move southward today, bringing cold weather and dust to southern Taiwan,” the Department of Environmental Monitoring and Information Management said. Rain may reduce the air pollutants in some parts of the country, the department said. The EPA urges the public to avoid spending unnecessary time outdoors, particularly in the case of children, the elderly and those with heart or respiratory problems.
■ CULTURE
Museum crowds growing
The National Palace Museum is considering measures to manage crowds, as the influx of Chinese tourists has put a strain on service to visitors, a senior curator said yesterday. The museum is a favorite destination for Chinese visitors, resulting in overcrowding in the most popular display rooms and galleries since the number of Chinese tourists rose significantly last month, museum deputy director Feng Ming-chu (馮明珠) said. In the past, Feng said, the number of visitors per day exceeded 8,000 only on holidays. “But nowadays the number tends to surpass the 8,000 mark every day,” she said. Feng said the number of Chinese visitors was expected to increase following the launch of regularly scheduled flights across the Taiwan Strait, leading the museum to seek measures to deal with bigger crowds.
■ SOCIETY
Falun Gong stage protest
About 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered at Liberty Square yesterday, demanding that Beijing stop its persecution of their group. Activists were there to mark the 10th anniversary of a 10,000-strong silent protest by Falun Gong followers in Beijing. The Beijing rally sparked a crackdown on the group. Chang Ching-hsi (張清溪), an economics professor at National Taiwan University and a Falun Gong practitioner, said that despite the crackdown, “Falun Gong has not collapsed. Instead, it has spread to more than 100 countries.” He estimated that there were 500,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan. The rally at Liberty Square drew some curious Chinese tourists, who hurriedly posed for photos before being led off by tour guides.
■ POLITICS
Lu urges Chen to keep out
Former vice president Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said yesterday it would be “inappropriate” and “unnecessary” for former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to rejoin the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at the moment. Lu made the remarks in response to media reports that Chen told Hsu Chieh-yuan (??, an executive committee member of the DPP Taipei City Branch, during a visit on Thursday that he would be willing to rejoin the party if it invited him. Chen, who is being held at the Taipei Detention Center, is being tried on counts of embezzlement, money laundering, taking bribes and forgery. Lu said Chen’s top priority should be to remain healthy and prove his innocence, adding that during a recent visit, he had not mentioned rejoining the party. Chen withdrew from the party in August.
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
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