■ Defense
Chinese vessel chased off
A Chinese scientific research ship was chased away Thursday from the vicinity of Orchid Island, navy and the Coast Guard Administration officials reported yesterday. Coast guard personnel stationed in Orchid Island's Kaiyuan Harbor spotted an unidentified ship in the area that was later identified as the Xiangyanghong No. 14, a research vessel belonging to China's State Oceanic Administration. In view of the fact that Orchid Island is the disposal site of Taiwan's nuclear waste and that Thursday was a sensitive period as it was Double Ten day, the officials alerted the Coast Guard Administration and the navy to send ships to monitor the situation and the Chinese ship later left the area. Coast Guard Administration officials said that the ship operates in the Taiwan Strait year round and they speculated that the vessel was not only there to conduct research but also to intercept Taiwan's communications.
■ Defense
US firm plans to sell subs
US defense technology group Northrop Grumann intends to sell submarines made by its German partner HDW to Taiwan and is in talks with the German government about possible ways of allowing the deal under Germany's strict export regulations, the US firm's chairman said yesterday. "There's an interesting market there and we want to be in it," Northrop Grumann chief Kent Kresa told the business daily Handelsblatt. Talks are underway with the German government to try to establish under which circumstances such exports would be allowed. "If the German government does not give its approval, other alternatives exist inside and outside Europe," Kresa said. The German government bans exports of weapons to Taiwan so as not to jeopardize its relationship with China.
■ Brainstorming
Think tank to host forum
Taiwan Advocates, a think tank presided over by former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝), will host a two-day forum next weekend to examine legislative and educational reforms, as well as measures to revive the economy. Lee, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) are expected to speak at the opening ceremony. The vice president of the group, Huang Kun-huei (黃昆輝), said yesterday that the forum differs from most academic seminars because it will present concrete solutions to problems. The solutions will be presented to the Cabinet as a reference.
■ Foreign affairs
Costa Rica voices its support
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and President Abel Pacheco de la Espriella of Costa Rica said yesterday in a joint communique that international disputes should be resolved peacefully through dialogue and negotiation, and that a nation's sovereignty and right to self-determination should be honored. The joint communique points out that China's military expansion in recent years has aroused concern. It demands that China suspend missile deployments along its southeastern coast to stop its threat to the security of Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific region. President Pacheco said that as a sovereign state, Taiwan has the right and obligation to participate in international activities. While extending his congratulations to President Chen on Taiwan's recent accession to the WTO, Pacheco said that Costa Rica will continue to support Taiwan's efforts to gain membership in other international organizations, including the UN and the WHO.
Staff writer with agencies
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
Taiwan next year plans to launch its first nationwide census on elderly people living independently to identify the estimated 700,000 seniors to strengthen community-based healthcare and long-term care services, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on the sidelines of a healthcare seminar that the nation’s rapidly aging population and declining birthrate have made the issue of elderly people living alone increasingly pressing. The survey, to be jointly conducted by the MOHW and the Ministry of the Interior, aims to establish baseline data and better allocate care resources, he
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