Fri, Sep 24, 2004 page3

• Taiwan Quick Take

  • STAFF REPORTER WITH AGENCIES
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  ■ Weather

  CWB monitoring Meari

  The Central Weather Bureau is closely monitoring Typhoon Meari, which is now a medium typhoon, bureau sources reported yesterday. The bureau is not expected to issue any warnings for Meari before tomorrow. Meari, the 21st typhoon reported in the Pacific area this year, was centered about 1,900km southeast of Taiwan at 8am yesterday with a radius of 150km. It was moving northwesterly toward Taiwan at a speed of 16kph and packing maximum sustained winds of up to 118kph, forecasters said. The bureau also warned that the first cold front from the north this year has arrived, lowering temperatures and bringing showers.

  ■ Crime

  Hundreds of thefts unsolved

  There are 183 unsolved burglary cases involving NT$400 million (US$11.83 million) from the last five years in Taipei, Taipei City Councillor Wang Hao (王浩) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said yesterday during a question-and-answer session at Taipei City Council. He said that police stations in the Taan, Sungshan, and Neihu districts have the most unsolved cases. There were 73 major burglaries involving NT$144 million in the Taan district, including a burglary at the dormitory of the America Institute in Taiwan. He questioned whether police have only focused on major criminal cases and neglected burglaries.

  ■ Cross-strait ties

  Illegal migrants repatriated

  A group of 131 illegal Chi-nese immigrants, including a dozen infants, were repatriated from Matsu yes-terday with the assistance of the Red Cross Societies on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. They were the last batch of illegal immigrants to be sent home before the Mid-Autumn Festival next Tuesday. There are still 79 illegal immigrants at the Matsu center and the number of illegals held at detention centers awaiting repatriation exceeds 2,000.

  ■ Defense

  Pingtung plant hosts drill

  A nuclear safety drill was held in Pingtung County yesterday, simulating radia-tion leaks from a nuclear plant, terrorist attacks and sabotage by Chinese agents. The exercise was staged at the Second Nuclear Power Plant complex by the Atomic Energy Council (AEC), Taiwan Power Co and the county government. "The drill covered a vast area of five kilometers surrounding the plant as this year's focus is damage control in the event of a radiation leak," said a council official. The army's chemical warfare troops fought off mock terrorist attacks while coast guard officers searched for purported Chinese agents hiding in the facility.

  ■ Diplomacy

  MOFA dismisses report

  The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday dismissed a media report that the gov-ernment will contribute US$40 million over a 20 year period to a US-backed trust fund for the Marshall Islands. "We have not yet come to a conclusion although we're indeed studying the possi-bility," said ministry spokes-man Michel Lu (呂慶龍),referring to a report quoting the Pacific nation's Foreign Minister Gerald Zackios. Zackios said that Taiwan had agreed to give US$1 million annually until 2009, and then increase the amount to US$2.4 million annually through 2023. The trust fund's goal is to replace US grant funding when the compact ends in 2023. Tai-wan and the Marshall Islands have had diplomatic ties since 1998.

  ■ Tourism

  Delegation heads to Tokyo

  A delegation of Taiwanese travel agents and hotel, amusement park and museum operators will take part in the JATA World Travel Fair 2004 to open later this week in Japan to promote Taiwan's tourism, Tourism Bureau officials said yesterday. The fair, which runs from today until Sunday in Tokyo, is the largest travel exhibition in Asia. It attracted approximately 100,000 visitors and exhibitors last year. The 58-member delegation will be led by Michael Sheu, deputy director-general of the Tourism Bureau. To highlight the unique characteristics of Taiwan, an Aboriginal cultural troupe will perform songs and dances at the event, and there will also be demonstrations of paper umbrella painting and silhouette cutting.

  ■ Statistics

  Salaries fell in July

  Taiwanese workers earned an actual average salary of NT$35,010 (US$1,034) in July, down by 0.08 percent compared with the previous year and marking the first fall in 24 years, according to the latest statistics released yesterday. The statistics compiled by the Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) show that Taiwan's workers in the industrial and service sectors had an average income of NT$40,015 (US$1,176) in July. The first decline in the actual salary growth rate is an indication that the pace of product price hikes has outstripped that of salary increases for average workers, making them further feel the pinch of reduced earnings despite an apparent economic recovery, DGBAS officials said. Even worse, average per capita working hours rose to 189.9 hours for July, an increase of 6.8 hours over the June average.
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