■ Politics
Lawmaker convicted of libel
The Taipei District Court yesterday found People First Party (PFP) Legislator Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁) guilty of libeling a government official and sentenced him to 30 days detention or a fine of NT$27,000. In March, Fu called then Government Information Office director general Arthur Iap (葉國興) "a dog unleashed by [President] Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) to bite people." He made the remark in a press conference as he criticized Iap over a translation error in a Central News Agency's report which implicated PFP Chairman James Soong (宋楚瑜) in the Lafayette frigate scandal. The court ruled that, since Fu made the statement in the PFP's press conference room in the legislature, he was not protected by legislators' immunity of speech privilege. Fu said he will appeal the verdict.
■ Education
Book drive launched
BenQ Corp and China Airlines, along with other local companies, are sponsoring a drive to collect English-language children's books for schools in remote areas. They are urging expatriates and Taiwanese to donate books before Dec. 31. Books can be sent to the offices of the United Daily News at 555 Chunghsiao E. Road or branches of the Taipei Fifi Bookstore in Taipei, Yilan, Taoyuan, Taichung and Kaohsiung.
■ Crime
Police crack `rape pill' ring
Police raided an apartment in a high-rise building in Kaohsiung on Wednesday night, seizing 18kg of Ketamine and arresting five individuals. A police officer said that, according to preliminary investigations, two of the suspects manufactured Ketamine, a sedative drug known as "rape pills," in the apartment for two of the other suspects to sell in pubs. The materials they used to manufacture the drug were allegedly supplied by the fifth suspect. The officer said evidence shows that the suspects have sold an unknown quantity of the drug.
■ Education
Vocational schools backed
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) promised yesterday that his administration will not phase out vocational high schools. He said students should have a wider range of options in the nation's diversified and pluralistic society. Chen made the remarks at the opening of a two-day national conference in Taichung for the heads of vocational high schools. Chen said the government will devote more energy and resources to develop vocational education facilities instead of abolishing them. The government should build a good environment in which children and youth should be provided with more options and channels to develop their interests, potential and dispositions, he said.
■ Language
Chen urges diversity
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) said yesterday that the establishment of official languages should be based on the respect for differences among ethnic groups and cultures, and should transcend stereotypes and political ideologies. He made the remarks in an essay on his Web site on the beauty and diversity of Taiwan's languages. Chen said he speaks Hakka and Aboriginal languages on occasion and even though he is far from fluent, it helps to "bridge the gap between him and his audiences." He said there are 29 languages spoken in Taiwan, including Hoklo (also known as Taiwanese), Mandarin, Hakka and more than a dozen Aboriginal languages.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
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
NEW WORLD: Taiwan is pursuing innovative approaches to international relations through economics, trade and values-based diplomacy, the foreign minister said Taiwan would implement a “three-chain strategy” that promotes democratic values in response to US tariffs, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said. Taiwan would aim to create a “global democratic value chain,” seek to capitalize on its position within the first island chain and promote a “non-red supply chain,” Lin was quoted as saying in the ministry’s written report to the Legislative Yuan submitted ahead of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee meeting slated for today. The Ministry would also uphold a spirit of mutual beneficial collaboration, maintaining close communication and consultations with Washington to show that Taiwan-US cooperation
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
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