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Taiwan News Quick Take

■DIPLOMACY

Kadeer not a terrorist: Ma

Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer is not a terrorist, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was quoted as saying in an interview with the Chinese-language Apple Daily yesterday. Ma was asked if Kadeer, who lives in exile in the US, was a terrorist, to which Ma answered: “No.” He did not elaborate. Kadeer, branded a “criminal” in Beijing, has become a controversial figure in Taiwan after the Ma government last month said it would not allow Kadeer to visit Taiwan, saying the World Uyghur Congress that she leads has close links to a terrorist organization. Kadeer has denied the allegation.



■HEALTH

DOH drafts premium hike

The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday unveiled a draft plan to raise the income ceiling on which health insurance premiums are calculated, which is expected to affect more than 80,000 high income earners. The plan, which is expected to boost the National Health Insurance system’s annual revenue by NT$1.3 billion (US$40.1 million), is set to be implemented next year after it is approved by the Executive Yuan, said Chu Tung-kuang (曲同光), deputy convener of a DOH panel overseeing the insurance program. Under the plan, the current monthly ceiling of NT$131,700 will be raised to NT$212,000, and 13 new income tiers will be created. That means, for example, that those making more than NT$212,000 per month will see their premium rise by NT$3,654 per month, based on the existing premium rate of 4.55 percent. Because employees are only required to contribute 30 percent of the premium, they will only have to pay an additional NT$1,096 per month, while their employers, who contribute 60 percent, will have to pay an additional NT$2,192 per month per employee in this income group.



■ECONOMY

Ma chairs economic talks

President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Thursday held his first regular high-level economic meeting as he tried to guide the nation out of its worst crisis in decades, Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said yesterday. “The president has made the monthly meeting a routine that will provide a mechanism for opinion exchanges,” Wang said. “It shows he’d like to live up to expectations from the public and enhance his role in leading economic development,” Wang said. He declined to disclose what issues were covered in the meeting, but the Chinese-language Economic Daily News reported yesterday that those present voiced special concern over the sagging job market. The jobless rate last month stood at 6.04 percent, just below the all-time record of 6.13 percent in August.



■HEALTH

Adimmune reports progress

Taiwanese may soon get shots of a locally produced A(H1N1) vaccine, as a mid-term report on its initial effects in protecting adults against the new flu virus was released yesterday. Chou Jih-haw (周志浩), deputy director of the Centers for Disease Control, said that based on a mid-term assessment of human clinical trials submitted by Adimmune Corp (國光生技) a day earlier, the Department of Health (DOH) was leaning toward a conclusion that adults would need only one dose of the vaccine produced by the company. Chou added, however, that the DOH would only reach a conclusion after a screening committee has reviewed all the data contained in the assessment report. Meanwhile, the dose of Adimmune vaccine for children younger than nine years old will be determined after test results on children are completed.



■MEDICINE

Team treats Paraguayans

A medical team assembled by Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) has won acclaim in Paraguay for performing 15 artificial joint replacement procedures in the past week on Paraguayan patients. Paraguay’s Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare told a press conference on Thursday that the team also shared its expertise with medical staff at the hospital where it worked. The ICDF medical team was composed of four orthopedic and cardiology specialists and two nurses. They arrived in Asuncion on Oct. 13 and performed the 15 joint replacement surgeries in less than 10 days.



■TRANSPORT

Bill allows water on MRT

The Legislative Yuan is screening a law amendment that would allow passengers on mass rapid transit (MRT) systems to drink water on the trains. The draft amendment to the Mass Rapid Transit Act (大眾捷運法) was presented yesterday to the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which will later move it to the legislative floor for approval if it passes the first screening. The draft amendment does not seek to lift the ban on food or other drinks on MRT trains, only on drinking water. The bill also proposed that passengers be allowed to carry caged animals on the trains.



■AGRICULTURE

Grouper study nets award

Yang Hui-lang (楊惠郎), a professor at National Cheng Kung University, has won this year’s prize in agricultural sciences presented by the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS). Yang won the prize for his outstanding achievements in the research and development of immunology, oral vaccines and prevention of viral infections in grouper aquaculture, the university spokesman said. TWAS is an international organization based in Trieste, Italy, that promotes scientific excellence for sustainable development in developing countries around the world.
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