■ Cross-strait ties
Zhangzhou group in Kinmen
Zhangzhou Vice Mayor Tang Peigeng (譚培根) from Xiamen, Fujian Province, led a six-member delegation to Kinmen yesterday to promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation. Tang's was the first trade group from Zhangzhou to visit Kinmen since the "small three links," were implemented in January 2001. Kinmen County Magistrate Lee Chu-feng (李炷烽) said that Kinmen and Zhangzhou are close to each other. Lee said Zhangzhou has an ample supply of agricultural products and construction materials and that there should be room for cooperation between the two sides such as in tourism and the processing of light industrial products. With a lot of Taiwanese winery owners trying to register their products as Kinmen Kaoliang liquor in Zhangzhou, Lee expressed his appreciation that Zhangzhou authorities helped revoke their registrations. Lee also welcomed Zhangzhou to sponsor trade fairs in Kinmen.
■ Foreign wives
Ministry to boost protection
Vice Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) said yesterday the ministry will step up protection of foreign wives of Taiwanese. Chien made the remarks when he attended a public hearing, sponsored by KMT Legislator Chiang Chi-wen (江綺雯), to highlight the problems faced by foreign wives. Several social groups, including the Pearl Buck Foundation and the YWCA, also took part. Chien said that the ministry had worked out a policy to provide counselling to foreign wives and set up a "one-stop" service center to step up protection of abused foreign wives. In addition, he said that from next year, the ministry will increase the budget to help foreign wives by 85 percent in the hopes of increasing the level of care for them.
■ Water
Rains ease shortage
Water Resources Agency Deputy Director Chen Shen-hsien (陳伸賢) said yesterday that the first-stage of a series of water restrictions for northern Taiwan may be lifted in the middle of next month, thanks to recent precipitation. Chen said the Feitsui Reservoir in Taipei County and the Shihmen Reservoir in Taoyuan County have accumulated 120mm and 130mm of rainfall, respectively, since the beginning of this month. Should the accumulations at the two dams reach 180mm by the end of the month, a second-phase of water-conservation measures originally planned for the north early next month may not go ahead. The first-stage of measures could be removed by the middle of next month if rainfall remains normal early next month, Chen said.
■ 2004 election
Youth backs opposition
Most young people would support opposition candidates over President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) in next year's presidential election, according to a poll released yesterday. The poll by the TVBS cable news station surveyed people aged between 19 and 22, who would be able to vote for the first time in next year's ballot. The voting age is 20. The poll showed that 57 percent of respondents supported KMT Chairman Lien Chan (連戰) and his probably running mate, PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜). Thirty-seven percent would vote for Chen if he sought re-election with Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮). Seventeen percent said they would not vote. TVBS said 600 people took part in the telephone survey, conducted from April 7 to Monday. The poll had a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
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