Paraguay could soon grant Taiwanese tourists visa-waiver privileges, a visiting Paraguayan official said in Taipei yesterday.
Cesar Aquino, executive secretary of the National Anti-Drug Secretariat of Paraguay, said Paraguayan President Fernando Armindo Lugo Mendez had told him before the trip that he would soon agree to grant visa-free privileges to visitors holding Republic of China (ROC) passports.
Aquino said Lugo also told him he would make immediate arrangements to visit Taiwan as soon as he receives an invitation.
PHOTO: CNA
Aquino made the remarks during a morning meeting with President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) at the Presidential Office.
Ma said that he welcomed the -possibility of Lugo’s visit and the visa-waiver program on behalf of the ROC government and the nation’s people.
Ma said he hoped to see more than 100 countries offer visa exemptions or landing visas to Taiwanese visitors next year when the ROC celebrates the 100th anniversary of its founding.
Earlier last week, the Council of the EU agreed to add Taiwan to the list of visa-waiver countries proposed by the European Commission for Home Affairs in June. The policy is expected to officially come into force in the middle of next month.
The decision means holders of ROC passports will no longer require a visa when traveling to 35 countries and territories in Europe, dubbed the Schengen Area, for up to 90 days.
This includes EU member states, excluding the UK and Ireland, which granted visa-free entry to Taiwanese last year, as well as Andorra, Liechtenstein, Morocco, San Marino, the Vatican, Greenland and the Faroe Islands — both exempted territories of Denmark — and non-EU member states -Iceland, Norway and Switzerland.
On combatting drugs, Aquino said Paraguayan police had joined forces with their Brazilian counterparts to crack down on marijuana planted along borders and -stopping drug traffickers from using Paraguay as a transit stop for composite drugs.
Ma, who served as justice minister between 1993 and 1996, said he attached great importance to combatting drugs.
During his stint as justice minister, Ma said he declared a “war on drugs” and successfully reduced drug-related crimes and the population of young people using drugs. He attributed the success to a three-prong approach that comprised cracking down on drugs, encouraging young people to refuse drugs and helping drug addicts kick the habit.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS