SOCIETY
Dapeng Bay to host regatta
Taiwan will hold its largest international sailing regatta in Pingtung County’s Dapeng Bay (大鵬灣) at the end of this month as the nation attempts to promote itself as a destination for sailing enthusiasts. Organizers said yesterday that the regatta, which runs from May 28 to May 30, is expected to draw more than 400 sailors from six countries, including Japan, New Zealand and the Czech Republic. The highlight will be local and international keelboat groups competing in a long-distance race from Greater Kaohsiung to Dapeng Bay on the first and final days. Short-distance races and other activities, such as canoeing and windsurfing, will be available to the public, Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General David Hsieh (謝謂君) said. Hsieh said the regatta, along with a recently inaugurated movable bridge and the ongoing Bluefin Tuna Cultural Festival, would help develop the Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area into a tourist destination.
HEALTH
Wash hands well: CDC
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reminded the public to use enough water to wash their hands, even though water rationing had been imposed in parts of the country and would likely be expanded. Deputy Director Chou Chih-hao (周志浩) said people should pay attention to personal hygiene to reduce their chances of contracting gastrointestinal diseases and vector-borne illnesses. “The number of people suffering from gastrointestinal infections usually rises during water shortages because most people try to save water by not washing their hands thoroughly,” Chou said, adding that such behavior creates a favorable environment for diseases like cholera, typhoid fever, dysentery, hepatitis A and hepatitis E. If water is not available before meals and after using the toilet, the center recommends using hand sanitizers. The center also advised that “when storing water, put a cover over the container to stop mosquitoes from breeding.”
DIPLOMACY
Protest made to Vietnam
The government yesterday lodged a protest with Vietnam for labeling the nation a Chinese province in some official documents. The protest followed a claim by an opposition lawmaker that Vietnam refers to Taiwan as a “province of China” on temporary residence cards it issues to Taiwanese businesspeople. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it had formally expressed its concerns. “We hope the Vietnamese side will rectify it soon,” it said. The Vietnamese government was not immediately available for comment.
ENVIRONMENT
Recycling proves valuable
Products made from recycled furniture, such as wooden benches and treasure pots, created a sales value of more than NT$20 million (US$690,000) last year, the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said. Under the agency’s furniture recycling service, which was launched in 2003, nine cities have facilities for fixing, reproducing and selling furniture, while 18 others have furniture repair factories, the EPA said. Chen Hsien-heng (陳咸亨), head of an EPA inspection team, said the program produced 35,518 pieces of recycled furniture last year and the profits all went to local governments. The EPA said it provides products made under the program free of cost to disadvantaged families and charity groups nationwide. People who want to learn how to repair furniture can visit the EPA’s Web site or its service centers in Greater Taichung and Tainan, the agency said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard