Sat, Dec 17, 2005 page3

• Taiwan Quick Take

  • STAFF WRITER WITH CNA
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  ■ Defense
  Destroyers to enter service

  Two Kidd-class destroyers purchased from the US are will be commissioned today. President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) will officiate at the commissioning ceremony at the Keelung military base for the 1801 Keelung and the 1802 Suao. The two vessels arrived in Suao (蘇澳) on Dec. 8 from Charleston, South Carolina, after a month-long voyage which also included logistics stops at US Navy bases in Hawaii and Guam. Navy authorities said that after the destroyers are commissioned, they will form the outer periphery of a naval defensive fleet, while the Perry-class, Knox-class and Lafayette-class frigates will play an "inner circle" role.

  

  PHOTO: WENG YU-HUANG, TAIPEI TIMES

  ■ Health

  Gerber puree passes tests

  The Department of Health announced yesterday that jars of Gerber carrot puree would be back on store shelves after tests showed that the baby food did not have excessive levels of cadium and metal. The tests showed the levels were within the acceptable standards for the EU and New Zealand. The tests were conducted after an alert from Israeli health authorities earlier this week that the Gerber carrot puree in Israel contained excess cadium levels. The carrot puree supplied to Israel was from a different batch than that sold in Taiwan and from a different series. The levels of cadium found in Taiwan were at 0.013ppm.

  ■ Fisheries

  Japanese move defeated

  The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) vetoed a Japanese proposal on Thursday to cut Taiwan's annual tuna fishing quota in the central and western Pacific Ocean. Last month Japan persuaded the International Commission of the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna to slash Taiwan's bigeye tuna fishing quota for next year. It proposed a similar cut for Taiwan's tuna quota in the central and western Pacific at the annual WCPFC meeting now underway in Micronesia. "The Japanese proposal was vetoed after our delegates convincingly explained our fishing operations in the region at the WCPFC session," said Wang Shun-lung, (王順隆) president of the Taiwan Tuna Association. According to a survey conducted in 2000, Taiwan had only seven or eight tuna fishing vessels operating in the region that year, with a total catch of about 998 tonnes.

  ■ Law

  Investigators probe agents

  The Ministry of Justice's Investigation Bureau (MJIB) yesterday sent two MJIB agents to the Kaohsiung Prosecutor's Office for questioning over their alleged involvement in leaking information concerning the Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) scandal investigation to a Chinese-language newspaper reporter. In addition, an official of the MJIB's Kaohsiung branch surnamed Chen leaked the probe information to former deputy secretary-general to the Presidential Office Chen Che-nan (陳哲男), who was later indicted. The MJIB's Kaohsiung branch official allegedly coached him on how to respond to questioning. Two other MJIB agents were also found to have phone conversations with independent legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅), who had disclosed information regarding the KRTC scandal probe. The bureau yesterday said the three MJIB agents will be disciplined, but the bureau did not get into specifics.
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