■Elections
Candidates' rank determined
Draws for polling numbers for mayoral and councilor candidates in the country's top two municipalities were held yesterday in Taipei and Kaohsiung cities. The results determine a candidate's placement on the ballot. In Taipei, Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) drew the No. 2 spot while his DPP rival Lee Ying-yuan (李應元) drew No. 1 after an official from the election committee drew on his behalf. In Kaohsiung, where there are five candidates in the race for the top job at city hall, Shih Ming-teh (施明德), who was absent and had his number drawn by an election commission official, got No. 1, followed in order by Chang Po-ya (張博雅), Huang Tien-sheng (黃天生), Huang Chun-ying (黃俊英) and Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷). As for city council elections, 115 candidates are vying for 52 seats in Taipei City and 114 candidates are fighting for 44 seats in Kaohsiung. The elections will be held Dec 7.
■ Crime
Counterfeiting charges laid
Law-enforcement agents arrested four people yesterday for allegedly counterfeiting NT$1,000 bank notes and seized equipment and bogus currency, a spokesman for the Investigation Bureau under the Ministry of Justice announced. Acting on a tip-off and following a lengthy investigation, prosecutors and investigators raided two locations in northern Taipei and Taoyuan counties where Ho Chin-teh (何金德), Lu Sun-yung (呂森永), Chang Yu-hung (張愈弘) and Feng Ming-cheng (馮明政) were found with 760 counterfeit NT$1,000 notes along with a computer and a color printer. The ring, led by Ho, allegedly sold bogus notes to downstream buyers, at a rate of one to three or one to four, who in turn passed the bills at grocery stores, traditional markets and street stands in central Taichung, Changhua and southern Kaohsiung counties.
■ Diplomacy
Chen offers help to ally
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that Taiwan is willing to help Sao Tome and Principe's fight against malaria. Chen made the remark at the Presidential Office when he received Sao Tome and Principe Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mateus Meira Rita, who arrived Wednesday for a five-day visit. The president said he was concerned about the nation, which is battling malaria by trying to eradicate mosquitoes. Chen said that Taiwan has already sent experts to the West African country, who have mapped out a mosquito-killing plan they will submit to the local authorities. Rita said Taiwan is the major cooperation partner of Sao Tome and Principe and told Chen that his country appreciates the assistance. Taiwan's aid, he said, is used to fight malaria and provide drinking water to residents.
■ Diplomacy
GIO solicits support
Government Information Office (GIO) Deputy Director-General Frederic Chang (張平男) called Thursday for international support for Taiwan, saying that a hegemonic China has never ceased in its efforts to isolate democratic Taiwan on the world stage. Chang made the remarks during a gathering in Geneva with 20 representatives from the media, academia and government. Stressing that Taiwan, a full-fledged democracy, deserves greater support from the international community, Chang invited foreign friends to pay fact-finding visits to the country. According to the GIO deputy chief, various European parliamentarians showed a high degree of interest in issues related to direct links.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS