■ Transportation
Neihu MRT to start in 2009
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) promised on Monday that the Neihu Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) line would start running in March 2009 and would begin commercial operation the following June, with no more changes made to this schedule. Hau made the promise in response to complaints by Taipei City Councilor Lee Ching-yuan (李慶元) about construction delays on the line. Lee said the Taipei City Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS) had allowed repeated postponements of construction by its contractor Kung Sing Engineering Corp without imposing any penalties. The project has been delayed by 400 days, including a delay of 278 days last year and another 122 days this year, Lee said. Although DORTS had excuses for the construction delays, DORTS director Tom Chang (常岐德) should resign to take responsibility for causing trouble and difficulty for residents, Lee said.
■ Crime
Chiu Yi indicted for libel
Taipei prosecutors yesterday indicted Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Yi (邱毅) for libel. They said Chiu had alleged that President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) son, Chen Chih-chung (陳致中), and daughter, Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤), had secret accounts with the Bank of America and that Chen Chih-chung owned a luxury residence in the US. Chiu had offered no evidence to back his claim. He also alleged that the president's children had invested in a supermarket in the US. Chiu was also indicted for slandering Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators Wang Shih-cheng (王世堅) and Tsai Chi-fang (蔡啟芳), as well as DPP Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯), for calling them "assholes" in a speech last September.
■ Politics
Ma defends bicycle tour
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential contender Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended his around-the-nation bicycle tour, saying it had enabled him to come into contact with people at the grassroots level. Ma and his 30-person entourage launched the tour in Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) last Thursday. The 619km journey will take the group through 18 cities and counties on the country's western plain before ending up at Taipei County's Fukui Cape (富貴角) on Sunday. Responding to criticism that the group looked like "members of the nobility on an outing" who could not possibly be close to ordinary people, Ma described the bicycle journey as the "most dynamic way" of staying in touch with the public.
■ Food
Taiwan in bakery world final
Taiwan is ready to take on the world in the final of the Louis Lesaffre World Bakery Cup in Paris, France, next year after beating China and South Korea in the competition's qualifying rounds. Chairman of the Taipei Bakery Association, Liao Ben-tsang (廖本蒼), told a press conference yesterday that it was Taiwan's first time in the competition and its performance proved the outstanding capability of the nation's baking industry. The competition has been held once every three years since 1992. Taiwan held its first qualifying match last year. After a year of intensive training, Liao said the team pulled off an impressive performance in the Asian qualifying round held in China in March.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
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