■ National security
Suspicious barrels seized
Government official have seized 158 barrels of chemicals from a North Korean ship for inspection on a tip-off that the chemicals may be dangerous, a customs official said yesterday. The Be Gae Bong was allowed to leave for Pyongyang after unloading the chemicals at Kaohsiung port on Monday, the official said. "We suspect the chemicals carried by the North Korean ship are dangerous and are holding the 158 barrels for inspection," the official said by telephone. He declined to give more details. Officials boarded the ship last week after it arrived from Bangkok on a tip-off that it was carrying substances that could be used for "military purposes."
■ Taxation
Don't tax rich: lawmaker
Higher taxes on the rich will only lead to capital flight and will not benefit workers, DPP Legislator Lin Cho-hsui (林濁水) said yesterday. Lin made the remarks in the wake of a suggestion by the Alliance of Fairness and Justice that the government reimpose a "capital gains" tax on the rich so as to balance the tax burden between entrepreneurs and average workers. The "pan-purple alliance" aims to speak for the underprivileged, including those who are becoming disadvantaged because of social injustice. If Taiwan imposes higher taxes on the rich, they will flock to other countries, he said. Lin said that any country that tries to tackle this problem single-handedly will face difficulties. "The alliance aims to help Taiwan's laborers, but it could end up making the lives of laborers more miserable," he said.
■ Diplomacy
Taiwan ready for summit
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that the government has prepared well for the visit of the heads of state of the nation's Latin American allies for a summit meeting in Taipei next week. Chen made the remarks when he met with Carlos Larios Ochaita, president of the judicial system and the Supreme Court of Justice of the Republic of Guatemala. Chen expressed the hope that Larios' first visit to Taipei will help promote bilateral cooperation in judicial matters between the two countries. He also expressed his appreciation for Guatemala's steadfast support for this country over the years, especially for the Taipei's bid to join the UN and other international organizations. The heads of state of Panama, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic will join Chen for the Aug. 21 summit.
■ Coast guard
Captain calls for help
A Coast Guard vessel came to the assistance of a Taiwan fishing ship yesterday which asked for help after claiming it was being threatened by the Chinese crew on board. The fishing ship, Chinhaifu No. 12, headed out from Tungkang, Pingtung, into the Pacific Ocean on June 19. The captain of the ship is from Taiwan; there were two Indonesians and five Chinese fishermen aboard. Captain Huang Teh-chuan (黃德川) urgently called for help saying that he had been threatened by the Chinese fishermen aboard. The Coast Guard vessel found the captain and the crew safe. The military escorted the ship back to Kaohsiung Harbor for further questioning. Meanwhile, another fishing ship registered in Pingtung, the Chang Tsung Cheng, had been out of communications for 12 days as of yesterday and remained missing as of last reports.
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
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
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