■ Transportation
Drop `4' from train number
The high speed rail has developed so many problems that an official has suggested removing the numeral "4" -- considered unlucky -- from train numbers, local TV stations reported on Saturday. The suggestion to remove the numeral "4" (si, 四), which sounds similar to "death" (si, 死) in Mandarin, was made by Pang Chia-hua (龐家驊), director of the Bureau of High Speed Rail, cable TV channel ETTV reported. "Avoiding `4' is superstition, but since many of the trains which had problems had `4' in their numbers, maybe the Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp should replace `4' with some other numeral," ETTV quoted Chu as saying. Since its launch on Jan. 5, the high speed rail has suffered from some minor delays. Out of the nine delays, seven happened on trains which have "4" in their line numbers.
■ Culture
Matou park breaks ground
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) presided over a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a cultural park in Matou Township (麻豆) in Tainan County. Under the sponsorship of the central government, the Tainan County Government decided to construct the cultural park in Shuicheitou District in Matou's eastern area, which used to be a port until early in the 19th century. During the ceremony, Chen promised that the central government would financially support the construction and development of the cultural park to preserve the Matou port site. He said that the old Matou port was culturally and historically valuable, and for many people, it bore certain significance in terms of feng shui due to a so-called "dragon throat" located there which is believed to bring good fortune to local residents. Construction of the park is estimated at NT$60 million (US$1.87 million).
■ Society
Dominican wins Ms Global
Mia Taveras from the Dominican Republic won the top prize in the first Miss Global City International Pageant held in Taiwan on Saturday. Taveras, an actress, beat 14 contestants from eight other countries to win the prize, which carries a cash prize, jewels and cosmetics worth NT$1 million (US$30,000). The first and second place went to two Taiwanese and the fourth place went to Uyanga Orchibat from Mongolia. Fifteen contestants from Taiwan, Mongolia, the Dominican Republic, Russia, Ukraine, the UK, Germany, South Africa and Bolivia took part in the Miss Global City International Pageant, held at the Universal Shopping Mall in Jhonghe City, Taipei County. Each country could send several contestants to represent different cities.
■ Society
Museum holds lectures
The National Palace Museum in Taipei is scheduled to hold a series of speeches in the coming few months to introduce the exhibition themes of its southern branch's six permanent galleries, a spokesman for the museum said yesterday. The museum's southern branch, which is currently under construction in Taibao Township (太保) in Chiayi County, is designed not only to house part of the museum's collection of Chinese art works but also to promote Asian arts and culture, the spokesman said. The lectures will cover a wide variety of topics on Asian tea culture, monochrome porcelain works, blue-and-white porcelain works, as well as Asian literature, Buddhism and weaving artifacts, to help the public gain an in-depth understanding of Asian arts and culture.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
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