■ Politics
Lee has back problems
Former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) recently canceled many of his public activities because he has been suffering from a spinal bone spur, which prevents him from standing for long periods of time, Hwang Kun-hu (黃崑虎), the president of the Friends of Lee Teng-hui association said Saturday. Lee was absent yesterday from a Lee Teng-hui School class held in Taoyuan County, for which Lee was scheduled to have been the lecturer. Hwang said that Lee called him on Thursday and revealed his bone spur affliction which has bothered him for weeks. Because of his age of 82, Lee cannot risk surgery to remove the bone spur, so for the time being Lee is undergoing rehabilitation and wearing a magnetic back support, Hwang said.
■ Environment
Rare birds still alive
Collaboration between local government and bird conservationists in the outlying Matsu areas has ensured the survival of rare birds, including the endangered Chinese crested tern. Rob Butler, a research scientist with the Canadian government yesterday observed birds and coastal environment in Matsu under the company of Taiwanes bird conservationist Simon Liao (廖世卿), independent Legislator Yang Chung-jse (楊宗哲), and Chang Show-hwa (張壽華), the chief of the Matsu Construction Bureau. They observed, distantly, about 200 bridled tern, 50 greater crested tern and one Chinese crested tern on or near nearby islets. "We are happy about the survival of such birds, especially after the passage of recent typhoons," Chang said. The Chinese crested tern has always been rare and little known since the discovery of 1863.
■ Diplomacy
Berger arrives for visit
Taiwan yesterday welcomed Guatemalan President Oscar Berger, saying his five-day state visit would help to further cement ties and enhance bilateral cooperation. Berger, who arrived in Taipei Saturday night to attend Sunday's inauguration of the Democratic Pacific Union (DPU) set up by Taiwan, was honored in a welcoming ceremony at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Park in Taipei. Top Taiwanese officials, including President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), as well as foreign envoys attended the welcoming ceremony.
■ Environment
Violators fined for bad air
One third of construction sites inspected by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) last month failed to meet criteria that ensure good air quality. Violators have been fined between NT$100,000 and NT$1 million for poor management. Last month, the EPA investigated 15 large construction sites in central Taiwan. Environmental inspectors found that five construction sites had caused serious air pollution involving the spread of suspended particles, or dust. Meanwhile, others caused minor problems regarding air quality. Companies managing such poorly-designed construction sites have been fined between NT$100,000 and NT$1 million. Officials said only three construction sites meet the criteria. The result shows that less than 20 percent of construction sites inspected meet criteria. EPA officials said that common problems leading to the spread of dusts are about uncovered materiel and supplies, the lack of car-washing facilities, poorly-designed routes for trucks, and others.
A magnitude 5.7 earthquake struck off Taitung County at 1:09pm today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 53km northeast of Taitung County Hall at a depth of 12.5km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Taitung County and Hualien County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Nantou County, Chiayi County, Yunlin County, Kaohsiung and Tainan, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage following the quake.
A BETRAYAL? It is none of the ministry’s business if those entertainers love China, but ‘you cannot agree to wipe out your own country,’ the MAC minister said Taiwanese entertainers in China would have their Taiwanese citizenship revoked if they are holding Chinese citizenship, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said. Several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑) and Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜), earlier this month on their Weibo (微博) accounts shared a picture saying that Taiwan would be “returned” to China, with tags such as “Taiwan, Province of China” or “Adhere to the ‘one China’ principle.” The MAC would investigate whether those Taiwanese entertainers have Chinese IDs and added that it would revoke their Taiwanese citizenship if they did, Chiu told the Chinese-language Liberty Times (sister paper
The Chinese wife of a Taiwanese, surnamed Liu (劉), who openly advocated for China’s use of force against Taiwan, would be forcibly deported according to the law if she has not left Taiwan by Friday, National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials said yesterday. Liu, an influencer better known by her online channel name Yaya in Taiwan (亞亞在台灣), obtained permanent residency via marriage to a Taiwanese. She has been reported for allegedly repeatedly espousing pro-unification comments on her YouTube and TikTok channels, including comments supporting China’s unification with Taiwan by force and the Chinese government’s stance that “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China.” Liu
MINOR DISRUPTION: The outage affected check-in and security screening, while passport control was done manually and runway operations continued unaffected The main departure hall and other parts of Terminal 2 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport lost power on Tuesday, causing confusion among passengers before electricity was fully restored more than an hour later. The outage, the cause of which is still being investigated, began at about midday and affected parts of Terminal 2, including the check-in gates, the security screening area and some duty-free shops. Parts of the terminal immediately activated backup power sources, while others remained dark until power was restored in some of the affected areas starting at 12:23pm. Power was fully restored at 1:13pm. Taoyuan International Airport Corp said in a
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