Earthquake: Tremblor felt nationwide
An earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale jolted Taiwan yesterday, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage. The quake occurred at 8:03am, with its epicenter 62.7km off the northeastern tip of Taiwan, 173.6km under the sea, the Seismological Observation Bureau said. Although the quake was strong, its maximum magnitude was only 3 on the Richter scale on Taiwan's surface. It lasted for about one minute.
Tourism: Finns get visa-free entry
Taiwan will grant 14-day visa-free entry privileges to citizens of Finland and Liechtenstein from Oct. 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. Finnish and Liechtenstein passport holders who intend to stay in Taiwan for up to 30 days can apply for landing visas at appointed airports or sea ports in Taiwan, the ministry said. The new measure is part of the government's efforts to attract more foreign tourists to realize its goal of doubling tourist arrivals by 2008, ministry officials said. China-born people who have been citizens of Finland or Liechtenstein for more than four years can also enjoy the visa-free privileges from Oct. 1, the officials said. Taiwan has already offered 14-day visa-free entry privileges to citizens from 21 countries.
Travel: New tourism boss signs in
The new director-general of the Tourism Bureau, Su Cheng-tien (蘇成田), said yesterday he will do his utmost to reach the government's goal of doubling tourist arrivals in Taiwan by 2008. Su, formerly a deputy director-general of the bureau, made the pledge at his inaugural ceremony. He is the first bureau chief to be selected through public competition as part of the government's efforts to recruit more competent professionals to join the public service and upgrade Taiwan's national competitiveness. "Implementing every measure under the `tourist-doubling program' will be our priority task," said Su, one of the chief planners of the Cabinet's ambitious tourism promotion project. In addition to attracting more tourists, Su said, the bureau will also push for the upgrading of the domestic tourism environment and relevant services.
Politics: Soong off to Holland
PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) is scheduled to leave Taipei today for the Netherlands for a lecture visit. He is scheduled to deliver a speech at the International Institute for Infrastructural, Hydraulic & Environmental Engineering (IHE). Soong took out US$1 million from his governor-election subsidy funds five years ago to co-found the Taiwan Water Conservancy and Environmental Technology Development Foundation at IHE, aiming to nurture talent in water conservancy, irrigation engineering and environmental technologies originating from Taiwan and other Asian countries. Soong said his one regret with this trip was that he would not be able to meet with Singaporean Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew (李光耀), who is scheduled to visit Taipei later this week.
Baseball: Chen congratulates Dodger
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) congratulated the country's first major league baseball player, Chen Chin-feng (陳金鋒), following his Saturday debut with the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. In a telegram to Chen Chin-feng, the president said the player has "glorified his country."
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
China is attempting to subsume Taiwanese culture under Chinese culture by promulgating legislation on preserving documents on ties between the Minnan region and Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said yesterday. China on Tuesday enforced the Fujian Province Minnan and Taiwan Document Protection Act to counter Taiwanese cultural independence with historical evidence that would root out misleading claims, Chinese-language media outlet Straits Today reported yesterday. The act is “China’s first ad hoc local regulations in the cultural field that involve Taiwan and is a concrete step toward implementing the integrated development demonstration zone,” Fujian Provincial Archives deputy director Ma Jun-fan (馬俊凡) said. The documents
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