■ Accident
Search for sailors abandoned
New Zealand maritime authorities said yesterday they have given up attempts to find 18 sailors believed drowned after their Taiwanese fishing boat sank in a storm earlier this month. Trying to find the 32m Lih Fa and its crew would be like "looking for a needle in a haystack," said Maritime Safety Authority compliance deputy director Bruce Maroc. "There is no active search being conducted at the moment," he said. An extensive air and sea search was launched for the vessel after its captain sent a distress message shortly after midnight on Thursday last week during the storm 800km west of New Zealand.
■ WHO
US paper supports bid
The Dallas Morning News said in an editorial on Wednesday that China's President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) should take bold steps to ensure that his government is accountable to its 1.2 billion people and drop China's obstruction of Taiwan's bid to join the World Health Organization as an observer. In the editorial, titled "SARS: Secrecy can kill: China's actions now will shape its future," the newspaper said China had grossly mishandled the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. The editorial said, however, that good may come from China's mistake, if the country becomes less secretive. In that regard, one cannot help but think of the Soviet Union, which in 1986 suppressed news of a massive radiation leak at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The resulting anger helped to further then president Mikhail Gorbachev's campaign of glasnost, or openness.
■ Business
Chen urges firms to stay
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) encouraged domestic enterprises yesterday to keep their operations in the country while they prepare to enter the global market. Addressing a gathering to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Kinpo Electronics Group in Taipei, Chen said that his administration would lift all possible barriers to domestic investment and increase construction of public facilities to entice more enterprises to stay in the country. Chen said that many companies are already setting up shop in Taiwan. As an example, the president pointed to the Dinpu Hi-Tech Industrial Park (頂埔科技園區) in Tucheng, which began receiving applications last week. He said that the park could not accommodate all the applications it had already received. The president also praised the Kinpo Group as a model for Taiwan enterprises in terms of its operating style. The conglomerate established its first company in 1973 to produce calculators with only 50 employees, he said, adding that it has now more than 40 enterprises, 24 factories and more than 20,000 employees.
■ Typhoon
Kujira warning lifted
The Central Weather Bureau (CWB) lifted a land warning yesterday for typhoon Kujira, which was downgraded to a tropical storm as its strength diminished. CWB weathermen said that as of 5:30 pm, Kujira was located 230km east of Hualien and was moving in a north-northeasterly direction at a speed of 20kmph toward Okinawa. The weathermen said that land areas in northeastern Taiwan, eastern Taiwan and southeastern Taiwan are all out of the influence of Kujira and that they expected to lift the sea warning later in the evening. Kujira, one of the few typhoons in many years to approach Taiwan as early as April, has caused no damage and has not brought any heavy rainfall to eastern Taiwan.
■ The media
Chen wants free press
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) reiterated his commitment to freedom of the press on his Web site yesterday. Noting that freedom and democracy are basic factors of Taiwan's survival, Chen said he has never wavered in his commitment to defend "100 percent" freedom for all sectors of the media regardless whether or not he is president. However, Chen said, freedom doesn't mean people can do whatever they wish; there are limitations, such as not interfering with the freedom of others. Taiwan's democracy still has room for growth and so does its media, he said, adding that the media should grow through its own desire to improve itself and serve the needs of society. Some private groups have tried to coax the media to cover events better, the president said, but added that this task is not one for the government.
■ Foreign affairs
Aid ready for Iraq
Humanitarian assistance to Iraq is ready for shipment, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday. Lu Ching-long (呂慶隆), vice chairman of MOFA's NGO Affairs Committee, made the remarks when he was reporting on the progress of a donation campaign for war-ravaged Iraq. Lu noted that domestic groups have solicited so far 3,445 cartons of mineral water, 7,300 packages of salt and sugar, 650 cartons of milk powder and food supplements, 10,112 blankets, one ambulance and 200 tents and sleeping bags, as well as NT$30.70 million in cash. Lu said that the MOFA is cooperating with Mercy Corps of the US in providing humanitarian assistance. The MOFA is renting a warehouse in Taoyuan to store all the collected materials.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
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