■ WEATHER
Blue skies ahead
People in Taiwan and the islands of Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu will see mostly sunny skies throughout the coming week, the Central Weather Bureau said in a forecast yesterday. Meteorologists at the bureau predicted stable weather with little chance of rain for the next seven days for Taiwan and the outlying islands, although northeastern, eastern and southeastern regions could see cloudy skies from Friday through Sunday. Daytime temperatures could rise to over 30oC, the bureau said, adding that because of the prevailing cool northerly wind, the difference in daytime and nighttime temperatures might be as high as eight degrees.
■ POLITICS
Wang yet to be invited
Although Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential contender Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has said the party must determine its presidential ticket as soon as possible and that he would like Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to be his running mate, Wang yesterday said Ma had not invited him to be his running mate. "[Ma] never told me that he wanted me to be his running mate. I learned the news from media reports and there has been no evidence for this," Wang told the media yesterday. After Ma was nominated as KMT presidential candidate in the party's Central Standing Committee on May 2, he said he would seek to meet Wang and discuss how they can work together to secure victory in next year's presidential election.
■ NURsing
Breastfeeders' main worries
The top concern of nursing mothers is that they do not produce enough milk for their baby, said the Bureau of Health Promotion's analysis of calls received by its nursing mothers' hotline. Almost 40 percent of calls are from women who are worried that their babies are not getting enough breast milk. Other problems encountered by mothers include breast discomforts and abnormalities, how to collect milk at work and babies developing jaundice. Women who think they do not produce enough milk should carefully consider their options before turning to baby formula, said Wang Shu-fang (王淑芳), secretary-general of the Taiwan Academy of Breastfeeding. "Ninety-eight percent of women are biologically capable of producing enough milk for their babies if they adopt the right techniques," Wang said. "More common problems in milk pro-duction include posture, pumping technique and people's lack of understanding of breast-feeding women."
■ DEFENSE
And then there were three
Defense Minister Lee Jye (李傑) said yesterday that the Ministry of National Defense had altered "spiritual and behavior" guidelines that harked back to the authoritarian era. The "five convictions" that guided the members of the country's armed forces have been reduced to three. Fielding questions at the legislative Defense Committee, Lee said that of the "five convictions" -- doctrine, leadership, nation, responsibility and honor -- the notions of "doctrine" and "leadership" have been removed as times have changed. However, Lieutenant-General Chen Kuo-hsiang (陳國祥), chief of the General Political Warfare Bureau under the Ministry of National Defense, who was also present during the question-and-answer period, said the removal was still under discussion and that no conclusion had been reached.
■ TRANSPORTATION
`Small links' travel rises
Travel rates on the "small three links" between Kinmen and Matsu islands and three ports in China's Fujian Province have risen, with first-quarter figures for both passengers and voyages posting noticeable year-on-year growth, the government reported yesterday. Statistics compiled by the Cabinet-level Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics show that ferries traveling between the islands and China made 1,300 trips in the first three months of this year, up 436 from a year ago. During the same three-month period, more than 98,000 passengers -- an annual increase of 25.8 percent -- traveled between the two sides, with some 84,000 leaving Taiwan for China, budget directorate statistics show. Although only about 14,000 Chinese people entered Kinmen or Matsu in the first quarter via the "three small links," the figure nevertheless represented a year on year rise of 48 percent.
■ DIPLOMACY
Kiribati ties are solid: Tong
The Republic of Kiribati's relations with Taiwan are solid and the people of Kiribati are grateful to Taiwan for its generous aid in various fields, Kiribati President Anote Tong said on Sunday. Tong made the remarks in an interview in Washington, where he will attend the eighth Pacific Island Conference of Leaders scheduled to open yesterday. Asked if he is satisfied with the aid programs provided by the Taiwan government, Tong said Kiribati feels immense gratitude toward Taiwan. Tong said he decided to forge diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2003 when the latter began offering aid to his country in forms such as an agricultural development program, a plan for medical and health care cooperation, and cooperative fishery ties.
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
PROBLEMATIC APP: Citing more than 1,000 fraud cases, the government is taking the app down for a year, but opposition voices are calling it censorship Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun (鄭麗文) yesterday decried a government plan to suspend access to Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu (小紅書) for one year as censorship, while the Presidential Office backed the plan. The Ministry of the Interior on Thursday cited security risks and accusations that the Instagram-like app, known as Rednote in English, had figured in more than 1,700 fraud cases since last year. The company, which has about 3 million users in Taiwan, has not yet responded to requests for comment. “Many people online are already asking ‘How to climb over the firewall to access Xiaohongshu,’” Cheng posted on
Taiwanese were praised for their composure after a video filmed by Taiwanese tourists capturing the moment a magnitude 7.5 earthquake struck Japan’s Aomori Prefecture went viral on social media. The video shows a hotel room shaking violently amid Monday’s quake, with objects falling to the ground. Two Taiwanese began filming with their mobile phones, while two others held the sides of a TV to prevent it from falling. When the shaking stopped, the pair calmly took down the TV and laid it flat on a tatami mat, the video shows. The video also captured the group talking about the safety of their companions bathing
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