TRAVEL
Sichuan gets level-2 alert
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday raised its travel alert for China’s Sichuan Province to level-2 after a new case of H5N1 avian influenza was reported there. Authorities confirmed on Friday last week that a 46-year-old man in the Sichuan city of Suining had contracted the avian flu strain, the first H5N1 human infection in the province this year. The man, who was exposed to dead poultry, developed H5N1 symptoms on Feb. 18 and died on Feb. 27, according to the CDC. Another H5N1 case was reported in China’s Jiangsu Province earlier this year, where a level-2 alert is still in place. Travelers to China should avoid contact with birds, alive or dead, pay attention to personal hygiene and seek immediate medical attention if they develop such symptoms as a fever or a cough, CDC officials said.
POLITICS
New party established
A new political party called Minkuotang (民國黨) — or the Republic Party (MKT) — was officially established yesterday. The founder and chairperson is Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), a legislator who withdrew from the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) in late January, saying that she wanted to form a “third force” and “to fulfill what the public expects of her.” About a dozen government officials and politicians across party lines, including Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平), KMT caucus whip Lai Shyh-bao (賴士葆) and Democratic Progressive Party caucus whip Ker Chien-ming (柯建銘) attended yesterday’s ceremony and offered their congratulations. Hsu said at the ceremony that the founding of the MKT, “a party that places people before the nation,” was prompted by the need to get back to the grassroots level and “awaken society.”
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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