■ Politics
Lee to launch campaign
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) said yesterday that he will launch a "protect Taiwan" campaign on Feb. 28 in support of President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) re-election bid. Speaking at a Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU)-sponsored luncheon in celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year, Lee said the campaign is aimed at mobilizing at least 1 million people to march around the island on Feb. 28 to show their support for Chen's re-election. Lee said Chen's re-election is critical to safeguarding and consoli-dating Taiwan's democracy. In the face of China's military threat, Lee said, the people of Taiwan should stand united and make the right choice in the March 20 election.
■ Security
Police conduct drill
Various security units at Kaohsiung Harbor held a joint anti-terrorist attack training exercise yesterday as part of the Kaohsiung Harbor Bureau's efforts to beef up its emergency response and disaster-relief capabilities. More than 170 members from the harbor's administrative, police, fire, security and airborne police units took part in the training drill, mobilizing two helicop-ters and a large convoy of vehicles and ships for the exercise. The scenario was that an oil tanker was supposed to have been hijacked by terrorists. The harbor bureau immediately activated its emergency response mechanism. The terrorists would not surrender and set the tanker afire, whereupon the emergency task force launched an operation to overpower the terrorists and extinguish the blaze.
■ Health
Kinmen to be inspected
Department of Health Director-General Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) will travel to Kinmen tomorrow to inspect the hospital and wharves there and learn about the quarantine-control measures implemented on the island, department officials said yesterday. According to Center for Disease Control, Chen will be accompanied by center Director-General Su Ih-jen (蘇益仁). Chen is scheduled to visit Kinmen County Hospital, where he will inspect negative pressure wards. He will also inspect the quarantine measures for passengers at the Suitou wharf. The DOH has prepared 13,000 information packs to be distributed to passengers arriving for the Lunar New Year holiday at harbors and airports from China, starting today. In view of next week's holiday, the government has stepped up quarantine measures at airports and harbors for fear of a resurgence of SARS.
■ Crime
Drug raid nets illegal pills
Police raided a ketamine manufacturing outfit in Taichung County yesterday, seizing more than 2 million ketamine 5 pills with a market value of NT$600 million (US$17.78 million). Three suspects were arrested, including alleged mastermind Chen Pao-wen (陳寶文), 42. Police also found machines used to make powder into pills, around 200kg of raw materials and a transaction record. Ketamine 5, an animal tranquilizer, is often used to relax after taking ecstasy. Police began investigating the drug ring last August after a request for help from Malaysian police. Authorities claim Chen produced the drugs along with Hsiao Yu-cheng (蕭郁澄), his wife's uncle. His buyers in Malaysia were identified as Yu Wei-chuan (尤緯銓) and Yu's wife, Chu Li-jung (朱俐容). Chen told police that his buyers would order as many as 50,000 or 100,000 pills at a time.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
Taiwan’s three major international carriers are increasing booking fees, with EVA Airways having already increased the charge to US$28 per flight segment from US$25, while China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines are set to follow suit. Booking fees are charged by airlines through a global distribution system (GDS) and passed on to passengers. Carriers that apply the fees include CAL, EVA, Starlux and Tigerair Taiwan. A GDS is a computerized network operated by a company that connects airlines with travel agents and ticketing platforms, allowing reservations to be made and processed in real time. Major players include Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport. EVA Air began
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
When Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Leidy Galeano returned from an all-expenses-paid tour of six Chinese cities late last year, she was convinced Paraguay risked missing out on major economic gains by sticking with longtime ally Taipei over Beijing — a message that participants on the trip heard repeatedly from Chinese officials. “Everything I saw there, I wanted for my country,” said Galeano, a member of the newly-formed Yo Creo party whose senior figures have spoken favorably about China. This trip and others like it — which people familiar with the visits said were at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo
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