■ Crime
Ransom topples motorcyclist
A passing motorcyclist was knocked off his bike when he was struck by more than NT$20 million (US$603,320) in ransom money tossed by a kidnap-victim's relatives from a highway overpass on Tuesday evening. The ransom, packed into two nylon bags, landed on 57-year-old Lu Fang-nan (呂芳男) when he rode under the overpass just as the relatives were meeting the kidnappers' demands, Chinese-language media reported yesterday. "What does this have to do with me? Why did I get hit? I'm certainly unlucky enough," one newspaper quoted him as saying. Lu, who later sought medical attention for swelling and bruising of his left leg, said he rode off not realizing he had hit by a small fortune. The victim, a Taipei electronics businessman surnamed Lin, was kidnapped last Friday night and released on Tuesday after payment of the ransom.
■ Crime
Drug seizures soar
The amount of contraband drugs seized by law enforcement authorities last year surged 200 percent compared with the year before, the National Police Administration (NPA) reported yesterday. According to police tallies, 2,339.86kg of drugs were seized last year, marking an increase of 1,559.98kg from the 779.88kg found in 2002. Officials attributed the sharp rise mainly to the increase in seized second- and third-grade drugs. The amount of confiscated first-grade drugs, such as heroin, cocaine, opium and morphine, declined from 442.65kg in 2002 to 262.37kg last year. Heroin seizures alone decreased 176.14kg. Seizures of second-grade drugs, such as amphetamines, zoomed from 288.16kg in 2002 to 1,647.9kg last year, while third-grade drug seizures also jumped from 75.98kg to 429.59kg because of a substantial rise in ketamine seizures.
■ Health
Research deal signed
Tzu-Chi Buddhist General Hospital in Hualien signed a contract with a US firm yesterday to cooperate on the development of cancer-fighting drugs based on a plant extract. Han Hung-chi (韓鴻志), director of Tzu-Chi Hospital's cancer research laboratory, said his research team has discovered a substance in the Chinese thorowax root (Dupleurum Scorzonerifolium) that can stem growth of cancerous cells. Han said his team will cooperate with Seattle-based Phenogenomics Co in using root extracts to develop cancer-fighting drugs.
■ Overseas Chinese
Tzu Chi urged to recruit
Taiwan's representative to the Philippines has urged the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation to encourage retired elementary and high-school teachers to teach abroad. Wu Hsin-hsing (吳新興) made the appeal during a courtesy call at the Tzu Chi's branch office in Manila on Wednesday. Wu said he understood that many retired teachers are Tzu Chi members. "As many Chinese schools in Southeast Asian countries face a shortage of teaching staff, I hope Tzu Chi can help recruit retired schoolteachers to teach in overseas Chinese schools," Wu said. "I believe it's an effective way to help disseminate Chinese cultural legacies and values." Wu said the Chinese community in the Philippines has traditionally attached great importance to Chinese-language education and has offered much support to Chinese schools in various parts of the country. "There are now more than 140 Chinese schools in the Philippines, with over 100,000 teachers and students," Wu said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
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
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by