■ Diplomacy
Chai asks David Lee to quit
Taiwan's representative to Washington David Lee (李大維) should be replaced for failing to dissipate US concerns over President Chen Shui-bian's statement about getting rid of Taiwan's National Unification Council, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chai Trong-rong (蔡同榮) said yesterday in Chiayi. Speaking at a news conference, Chai claimed that Lee had failed to do his duty by not taking any action to calm Washington fears after US officials expressed alarm at Chen's statement, and for failing to solicit their support for Chen's proposal. Instead of explaining Chen's stance to US officials, congressmen and opinion leaders, Chai said, Lee kept silent after a State Department official said they were not consulted in advance and were therefore surprised by Chen's Jan. 29 statement.
■ Society
Sun's condition improves
Former Premier Sun Yun-suan (孫運璿), hospitalized since Jan. 30, showed some improvement in his condition yesterday but was still in critical condition, according to doctors at the Veterans General Hospital in Taipei. The 93-year-old senior adviser to the president has been receiving treatment for an acute myocardial infraction with heart and lung complications. Sun's blood pressure, heartbeat, temperature and blood oxygen levels remained within normal ranges, although he was still on an artificial respirator. The doctors said Sun's condition was stable and that he was conscious and able to communicate by blinking. Sun was premier from 1978 to 1984.
■ Reconstruction
Quake commission closes
The 921 Earthquake Post-Disaster Recovery Commission headquartered in the central county of Nantou closed operations on Saturday after completing nearly all major reconstruction projects. Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and Kuo Yao-chi (郭瑤琪), chief executive of the recovery commission, removed the commission's signboard in a ceremony held at the commission's office in Chunghsing New Village (中興新村), Nantou County, the region that bore the brunt of the magnitude 7.3 earthquake that devastated central and northern Taiwan on Sept. 21, 1999. Addressing the ceremony, Su said that thanks to the concerted efforts of the general public and the private sector over the past six years, post-disaster relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction work has come to a smooth end. The recovery commission was established in June, 2000 shortly after the Democratic Progressive Party took power.
■ Society
`Dog doctors' help kids
A Taiwan dog club is renting out "dog doctors" to handicapped kids and mental patients to help them regain self-confidence and the ability to interact with society, a local newspaper said yesterday. The club in Linkou has trained six golden retrievers and two border collies to rent out to handicapped kids and patients suffering from various mental disorders, the United Evening News said. The dogs are rented out free of charge. Their owner, Bao Ge (or Brother Bao), rents out his dogs to people all over Taiwan for up to a week, the report said. Bao Ge said he began raising dogs ten years ago and knows that dogs can help heal mental trauma, so he launched the "Dog Doctor for Rent" service. Last year he rented out his golden retrievers to a group of handicapped kids who had a fear of going to school. After renting the "dog doctors" for two months, the condition of the children improved sufficiently enough for them to return to school.
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
Yangmingshan National Park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) nature area has gone viral after a park livestream camera observed a couple in the throes of intimate congress, which was broadcast live on YouTube, drawing large late-night crowds and sparking a backlash over noise, bright lights and disruption to wildlife habitat. The area’s livestream footage appeared to show a couple engaging in sexual activity on a picnic table in the park on Friday last week, with the uncensored footage streamed publicly online. The footage quickly spread across social media, prompting a tide of visitors to travel to the site to “check in” and recreate the
Minister of Digital Affairs Lin Yi-ching (林宜敬) yesterday cited regulatory issues and national security concerns as an expert said that Taiwan is among the few Asian regions without Starlink. Lin made the remarks on Facebook after funP Innovation Group chief executive officer Nathan Chiu (邱繼弘) on Friday said Taiwan and four other countries in Asia — China, North Korea, Afghanistan and Syria — have no access to Starlink. Starlink has become available in 166 countries worldwide, including Ukraine, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam, in the six years since it became commercial, he said. While China and North Korea block Starlink, Syria is not
The Grand Hotel Taipei has rejected media reports claiming that the hotel had prevented CBS from broadcasting coverage of the Beijing summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) on its premises. Media reports alleging that the hotel owner, dissatisfied with CBS’s coverage, prohibited the network from broadcasting political content on the hotel premises, are not true, the hotel said in a statement issued last night. The reports were “inconsistent with how the hotel actually handled the matter,” it said. The hotel said it received a refund request from a
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