Hiking permits harder to get

With the arrival of typhoon season, Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲) yesterday urged police to be more cautious in issuing hiking permits or to reject applications, for the sake of hikers' safety. Yu made the remark during a seminar in which police officers from Southern Taiwan's seven cities and counties participated. As accidents frequently occur in mountainous areas when typhoons hit, Yu said he expects police to persuade hikers to postpone their treks. He said when the Central Weather Bureau issues a land warning, the police should immediately order hikers to leave moun-tain areas and refuse to issue any new hiking permits.