■ EVENTS
Rain Festival to begin
The Ilan County Government is inviting the public to take part in the Ilan International Rain Festival, which opens on Saturday. This year’s festival is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors from home and abroad. Ilan County Commissioner Lu Guo-hwa (呂國華) said the event this year would be on a larger scale than last year, with more diverse activities, including three theme areas — the Wulaokeng Adventure Park, the Dongshan River Park and the Toucheng Vigorous Ocean Paradise. The festival will feature performances by Wuqiao acrobatic troupes from Hebei Province, China, a Nanta drumming show from South Korea, a bamboo orchestra from the Philippines and other attractions such as a pop music festival, a beauty pageant, a surfing competition, a street dancing competition, a creativity market and a beach wedding ceremony. Admission to the Toucheng Vigorous Ocean Paradise is free, while tickets for the Wulaokeng Adventure Park and the Dongshan River Park will vary depending on entry time and group size. The festival ends on Aug. 23.
■ EDUCATION
‘Ambassadors’ fly to Japan
Six fifth-graders from Chiayi County departed for Japan to take part in a two-week global youth camp as Taiwanese junior ambassadors, the county’s Education Department said on Tuesday. Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) met the children to give them encouragement during a flag handover ceremony on Tuesday, a day before the 21st Asia-Pacific Children’s Convention (APCC) began in Fukuoka, Japan. Prior to the trip, the three boys and three girls selected from Siang He Elementary School in Chiayi County attended weekly training workshops to study English and Japanese and gain an understanding of international etiquette. The APCC said that the government-funded organization invites children from the Asia-Pacific region to Fukuoka as “junior ambassadors” to improve their international understanding through exchange programs including homestays, school visits and exchange camps.
■ POLITICS
Impeachment attempt fails
The Control Yuan yesterday failed to pass an impeachment motion against former Toronto-based Government Information Office (GIO) official Kuo Kuan-ying (郭冠英), who used insulting terms to refer to Taiwan and Taiwanese people in a series of online articles under the pen name Fan Lan-chin (范蘭欽). Control Yuan member Chien Lin Hui-chun’s (錢林慧君) proposal to impeach Kuo was voted down 7 to 4, but she said that she would bring up the motion again after making revisions to her impeachment statement.
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