ESCALATING TENSIONS: The mayor of Taipei said that Taiwan and China were approaching their relationship dangerously, and said that there was still a chance to change things
By Caroline Hong
China's proposed "anti-secession" law will hurt the status quo and both China and Taiwan should take a step back and make compromises to resolve the situation, Taipei City Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday.

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The pro-independence Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) is planning to present a draft anti-annexation bill to the legislature in response to Beijing's proposed "anti-secession" law, TSU legislative whip Lo Chih-ming (羅志明) said yesterday.

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SPURIOUS CHARGES: A representative to the trade body and MOFA dismissed criticisms that Taiwan's interests weren't being protected
By Melody Chen
The country's permanent mission to the WTO yesterday rebuttal some Taiwanese officials' allegation that it shamefully compromised the nation's rights when negotiating the mission's title with the trade body.

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POLITICAL COMEBACK: The Atayal tribesman and former Catholic priest lost his re-election bid in December, but that hasn't stopped him from trying to make a difference
By Mo Yan-chih
Walis Pelin (瓦歷斯貝林), a former independent legislator, lost his seat in the Legislative Yuan in December's elections. But only a few months later, he made a political comeback with his appointment as the new chairman of the Council of Indigenous Peoples starting March 10.

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UNDER THREAT: The coral reef in Cape Tofu in Ilan County is a prime location for ecotourism, but development projects in the works could damage the ecosystem
By Chiu Yu-Tzu
Data on Taiwan's coral reefs regularly given to the UN for its report on the status of the world's coral reefs will become insufficient if tourism development projects near Cape Tofu, Ilan County, go ahead as planned, ecologists say.

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DONE DEAL: The CLA and Indonesian labor officials agreed on new regulations that will streamline the process for migrant workers to come and work in Taiwan
By Cody Yiu
Beginning this week, the first group of Indonesian migrant workers are expected to arrive in Taiwan following the Council of Labor Affairs lifting of a ban in December last year.

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Former US Ambassador to China James Lilley said Saturday that even if China enacts an anti-secession law, it is uncertain that Beijing will take any action against Taiwan in accordance with the law, as "law is what you say, policy is what you do."

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A serious car accident occurred in Taipei yesterday morning, that left 16 injured, three of them seriously.

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HALF-DONE DEAL: There appears to be no problem about whether Wu Shu-jen can go to the 2005 Expo in Aichi, it is just a question of finding a suitable time
By Wang Hsiao-wen
The Presidential Office yesterday denied media reports that first lady Wu Shu-jen (吳淑珍) intended to visit Japan in May, seeking to scotch recent speculation about a visit.

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Taiwan is pushing for a free trade agreement (FTA) with Malaysia in an attempt to further prop up substantive ties between the two countries, the nation's representative to Malaysia was quoted by the Malaysian National News Agency (MNNA) as saying yesterday.

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Television commerce, better known as T-commerce, is a new cash cow industry poised to change Taiwan's consumer purchase habits as well as create a new marketing system for traders.

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