Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (
Lee made the remarks in response to questions from legislators who expressed concern about the progress of preparations for the APEC meeting in Mexico City on Oct. 26 and 27.
The Nobel laureate was named by President Chen Shui-bian (
Lee said he is honored to serve as the ROC's envoy to the APEC summit.
Lee also found himself being questioned and asked for advice by lawmakers yesterday about last week's sexual harassment scandal involving Department of Health officials.
Lee said that he was worried that people in Taiwan always seemed to pay to more attention to ugly things instead of positive things.
"People don't seem willing to encourage those who do a good job, but instead consistently make rude attacks on those who have shortcomings or have made minor mistakes," Lee said in response to a question from DPP Legislator Chou Ya-shu (周雅淑).
Chou said that even though PFP Legislator Diane Lee (李慶安) had apologized for making a false accusation against acting head of the Department of Health Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲), the controversial events which led to that accusation continue to create chaos. Chou said she was therefore hoping that Lee could give some suggestions to both Diane Lee and Twu in order reduce tensions.
The Academica Sinica head responded by first citing an old story about one of his colleagues who had returned home to Tai-wan from the US to serve in the Academia Sinica. Lee said his colleague decided to leave Taiwan after staying only one week.
"I suggested he turn off his TV, stop reading newspapers for one week and try to walk around the streets and get in touch with average citizens," Lee said.
"After carrying out my idea, he told me that he had changed his mind and now believed that Taiwan is a warm and fragrant place," Lee added.
Therefore, Lee said, people should encourage each other for positive performances and stop picking on others' faults -- a tendency he described as a sickness in Taiwan's society.
"Moreover, I hope that our citizens will act in accordance with the spirit of science as a modern nation. Those who want to accuse others should first ensure that they have concrete evidence," he said.
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) is to begin his one-year alternative military service tomorrow amid ongoing legal issues, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. Wang, who last month was released on bail of NT$150,000 (US$4,561) as he faces charges of allegedly attempting to evade military service and forging documents, has been ordered to report to Taipei Railway Station at 9am tomorrow, the Alternative Military Service Training and Management Center said. The 33-year-old would join about 1,300 other conscripts in the 263rd cohort of general alternative service for training at the Chenggong Ling camp in Taichung, a center official told reporters. Wang would first
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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