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Taiwan News Quick Take

■POLITICS

Ma makes new faux pas

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) made yet another slip-up yesterday when he mistakenly called the Caribbean the “Worthless-bean.” During a meeting with members of the Ministry of National Defense’s training programs of senior military and government officials at the Presidential Office yesterday afternoon, Ma substituted the first part of the word “Caribbean” as “Bala,” or guava (芭樂), in Chinese, saying “Bale-bean.” Bale is the Chinese equivalent of “worthless” or “unimportant.” This was not the first time Ma made a faux pas since he took office in May last year. In August, Ma referred to Sao Tome and Principe as Burkina Faso while welcoming the foreign minister of Sao Tome and Principe and his wife at the Presidential Office. In January, Ma referred to Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) as Hu Yaobang (胡耀邦), a former Chinese Communist Party secretary-general. When attending the funeral ceremony of a Buddhist monk in March, Ma referred to the deceased by two different names, neither of which was correct.



■DEFENSE

US official guilty of spying

James Fondren, a former US Pacific Command (PACOM) official, was found guilty of spying on Sept. 25 for his involvement in a Chinese spy ring, military periodical Defense News reported yesterday. Fondren faces up to 15 years in jail, the report said. Fondren retired from the US Air Force in 1996 before rejoining PACOM as a civilian employee in 2001. He was deputy director of the command’s Washington liaison office. He is the second US government official found guilty of involvement in the spy ring run by Kuo Tai-shen (郭台生), a Taiwan-born naturalized US citizen who worked for US defense companies. Another man, Gregg Bergersen received 57 months in prison in July last year while Kuo received 15 years last May as part of plea bargains. Fondren was convicted of supplying classified information to Kuo. He also was found guilty of two counts of making false statements to the FBI, the article said.



■POLITICS

Chen’s detention challenged

Tainan Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair (許添財), who also serves as convener of a Release former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) task force, yesterday proposed mobilizing 1,000 people to sue the Council of Grand Justices next month for malfeasance over Chen’s “illegitimate” detention since December. DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has yet to throw her weight behind the proposal. Speaking to reporters, Hsu said the movement was to mark the one-year anniversary of Chen’s incarceration and to bring attention to the flaws in the nation’s legal system.



■ENVIRONMENT

Pick up garbage, get reward

The Environmental Protection Bureau in Taichung City said yesterday it was encouraging the public to pick up garbage, including dog excrement, for rewards in the first move of its kind to clean up the environment. The bureau said it is offering a gift voucher of NT$100 for each kilogram of dog excrement collected. To collect vouchers, residents must haul the canine droppings and other garbage to specified locations, the bureau said. “By offering rewards, we hope people will help clean up and conserve the environment so we can have a clean city,” the bureau said in a statement. It is also giving vouchers for picking up plastic, paper and Styrofoam cups as well as plastic bags. Dog excrement collection, however, is limited to 2kg per person per day, TV news reports said.



■DEFENSE

Ministry remembers battle

The Ministry of National Defense will invite former Kinmen commanders and veterans of the Battle of Guningtou (古寧頭炮戰) to a ceremony in Kinmen on Oct. 25 to commemorate the battle that kept the island out of China’s hands. To commemorate the battle, the ministry is also holding essay competitions, art exhibits and seminars leading up to the main event — the opening ceremony for Peace Memorial Square on Oct. 25, Deputy Minister of National Defense Huang Yi-bing (黃奕炳) said yesterday. Huang said the public should remember lessons of the past and promote peace for future generations. The Battle of Guningtou began on Oct. 25, 1949, when communist Chinese warships carrying more than 10,000 troops landed at Guningtou, located on the northwestern tip of the main island of Kinmen. After three days of fighting, Chinese Nationalist Party troops forced the surrender of thousands of communist troops. Kinmen County Commissioner Li Chu-feng (李炷烽) suggested yesterday that the ministry establish a military museum in Kinmen, an idea that Huang said the military supports.



■CRIME

Birthday boy robs stores

A man has been arrested for allegedly robbing three convenience stores, saying he was upset that nobody had celebrated his birthday, media reported yesterday. The 33-year-old, identified only by his surname, Tseng, said his “erratic behavior” was prompted by the birthday blues, the China Post reported. According to the police, Tseng said he suffered psychiatric disorders and had a criminal record for theft. Tseng, who robbed the three stores in Taipei within 23 minutes, was found drunk and carrying NT$13,200 in cash at the time of his arrest, the report said.
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