Sun, May 09, 2004 page3

• Taiwan Quick Take

  • STAFF WRITER WITH AGENCIES
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  ■ Earthquake

  Quake in Kaohsiung County

  An earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale jolted the nation yesterday but there were no reports of damage or casualties. The tremor hit at 4:17am, with its epicenter 16km south of Chiahsien in Kaohsiung County and 6.9 kilometers underground, according to the Seismology Center. A quake with a magnitude of 5.8 shook the nation on May 1, killing two and injuring a Canadian tourist.

  ■ Environment

  Spoonbills moving on

  All the black-faced spoonbills that wintered in Taiwan are expected to leave within two weeks as summer approaches, a spokesman for the Tainan Black-Faced Spoonbills Conservation Association said yesterday. At the moment, there are more than 40 black-faced spoonbills in the Tainan area. The vast majority of the roughly 700 specimens of the endangered species that had been in the nation left after the weather began to warm up, the spokesman said.

  ■ Exports

  Taiwan's food goes Brit

  A shopping center in north London plans to sponsor a Taiwan food exhibition this November featuring Taiwan's agricultural products and canned and frozen foods. Yeh Ming-shui (葉明水), an official in charge of marketing at the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA), called on Phoebe Lim, president of the Oriental City shopping center, on Friday to finalize the agreement. After visiting Oriental City's supermarkets, Yeh decided that Taiwan's agricultural products were comparatively higher in quality to similar products imported from Southeast Asian nations. Yeh said that Taiwan's lychees, pineapples, guavas, wax apples, Buddha-head fruits and teas have the potential to make inroads in British markets. Some brand-name canned foods also could compete with similar products from Southeast Asian countries.

  ■ Hakka affairs

  7-11 launches Hakka foods

  The convenience store chain 7-11 launched a line of traditional Hakka foods yesterday as part of its collaboration with the Council of Hakka Affairs to promote Hakka culture during the council's Hakka Tung Blossom Festival. The foods include Hakka lunchboxes and other items such as Hakka-style moichi (glutinous rice balls), laichai popsicles, garlic blossom tea and garlic pig intestine potato chips. The limited food line will be available in 7-11s across the country from May 11 to June 8. The food line is part of the council's effort to enter into promotions with private entities during tung blossom season. The festival, in its third year, has become a major business generator as people flock to view the white tung blossoms.

  ■ Religion

  Falun Dafa hails mothers

  The Taiwan Falun Dafa Society is sponsoring activities today in Taipei to celebrate Mother's Day and the twelfth anniversary of the establishment of Falun Dafa. In Taipei, the organization is hosting a carnival with food and crafts stands at National Taiwan University's gymnasium, next to Drunken Moon Pond. The carnival will also host demonstrations of Falun Gong and a calligraphy competition along with an exhibition of photos of Falun Gong being practiced worldwide. The society will also show a videotaped statement by Falun Gong's founder, Li Hong-zhi (李洪志). Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, was established in China by Li in 1992 and combines meditation and physical movement.
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