GOVERNMENT
Professor joins council
A National Dong Hwa University assistant professor has been named the new deputy head of the Cabinet-level Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Cabinet said in a statement yesterday. Chen Chang Pei-lun (陳張培倫), who works in the university’s Department of Indigenous Development and Social Work, will assume the post that former council deputy head Kao Yang-sheng (高揚昇) left on July 31 to take over as Deputy Taoyuan County Magistrate. Chen Chang, a member of the Bunun group whose Aboriginal name is Tunkan Tansikian, has spent many years researching the rights of indigenous peoples and served as a consultant to the council, the Cabinet said.
TECHNOLOGY
Taipei inks city domain deal
The Taipei City Government yesterday signed a registry agreement with the Internet Corp for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to open the top-level domain suffix “.taipei” for registration in November, according to the Taipei Department of Information Technology. The agreement was signed in the capital by Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) and ICANN board member Wu Kuo-wei (吳國維). Hau said Web sites for the special 1999 phone line for city residents and the public bicycle rental system YouBike would be among the first to adopt the “.taipei” suffix. Yesterday’s deal brings to 14 the number of Taiwanese cities to have secured their own top-level domains, according to the Chinese-language Apple Daily.
GOVERNMENT
Ma vows to help firefighters
President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) on Tuesday promised to give full support to the nation’s firefighters, who have complained of a lack of equipment and a shortage of manpower. Ma made the remarks at a ruling Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) meeting after about 100 firefighters petitioned the Ministry of the Interior on Monday asking the government to improve their working conditions. Six firefighters died in the Greater Kaohsiung pipeline explosions caused by propene leaks on July 31 and Aug. 1, while another was injured on Friday last week in a gas explosion at an apartment in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店). The petitioners called on the government to give them more higher-quality equipment and increase personnel, among other demands, so they can do their jobs better and more safely.
DIPLOMACY
Taiwan role model: Widodo
Indonesian president-elect Joko Widodo has cited Taiwan as a role model for his country, saying that advances in Taiwan’s human resources have led to high productivity. Manpower development is the biggest challenge facing Indonesia, Widodo said at a forum in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on Monday, describing the situation as a matter that must be dealt with, according to a report on detik.com, an Indonesian online news portal. Widodo said he shares the views of Indonesian writer Mochtar Lubis on the weaknesses of Indonesians, including hypocrisy, lack of a sense of responsibility, being superstitious and lacking courage. Another characteristic needing work is a lack of attention to quality, Widodo said. He said he relates to that well, based on his past experience working in furniture exports, which left him with an impression of the little importance Indonesians attach to quality. However, it is possible for Indonesia to catch up with countries such as Taiwan, Singapore and Japan, whose people are highly productive, through education, the Jakarta governor said. The changes are vital to the country’s productivity and competitiveness, he said.
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
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