■Family
Woman seeks real mom
PHOTO:TAIPEI TIMES
An American citizen who was born to a Taiwanese mother 31 years ago arrived in Taiwan recently to look for her biological mother.
Niki Lin Lundquist, accompanied by People First Party Legislator Pang Chien-kuo, said at a press conference that she wants to meet her real mother and say "I love you" to her. Lundquist said she thinks her mother's name may include a Chinese character pronounced as "Yang" and that she probably once lived in Miaoli County in northern Taiwan. According to Pang, Niki was born out of wedlock to a Taiwanese woman and a US soldier sometime in 1971. The young mother gave up the infant not long after giving birth at a nursery center run by an Order of St. Benedict church in Tamshui. The baby girl was then adopted by an American military couple.
■ Diplomacy
Taiwan offers support
Taiwan will support a US offensive against Iraq, as long as the antiterrorism action is sanctioned by the international community, particularly the UN, Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) said yesterday. Chien was speaking at the Legislative Yuan Foreign Affairs Committee on the tension between the US and Iraq. The foreign minister emphasized, however, that Taiwan's armed forces would not take part in any military action in the event of a conflict in the Middle East given Taiwan's existing situation in the international community. Taiwan would probably at most render humanitarian relief aid to areas beyond the war zones after any conflict.
■ Culture
Video promotes Hakka arts
The Executive Yuan's Council for Hakka Affairs launched Hakka, Craftsmanship, Master Workers -- A DVD Documentary yesterday as it geared up to preserve traditional Hakka arts. The 120-minute long documentary covers four themes -- performing arts, rituals and ceremonies, folk crafts and delicacies; it further divides Hakka traditional arts into 16 categories. The video gives a biography of each leading master of the traditional arts and is presented in Mandarin, Hakka and English.
■ Leadership
First lady honored
First lady Wu Shu-chen (吳淑珍) yesterday received an international leadership award presented by the Canadian organizing committee for the International Day for Disabled Persons in recognition of her contributions to Taiwan's democratization. ROC Representative to Canada Chen Tong-pi presented the International Excellence in Leadership Award to Wu on behalf of the Canadian committee in a ceremony held at the Presidential Office. The Canadian organizing committee presented the award as part of the celebrations of the 10th UN-initiated International Day for Disabled Persons on Dec. 3. The first lady's cousin, Wu Ching-yu, traveled to Ottawa at that time to received the award on her behalf.
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
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