■ Politics
Ma to try farmer's life
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) will head to Taichung on Wednesday, where he will stay for 18 days as part of his campaign to attract support and better understand the lives of residents in the area. Ma campaign spokesman Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said that Ma will visit Taichung City, Changhua and Nantou counties, followed by other long stays plans in southern and eastern Taiwan. Ma will live in cheap hotels or local residents' houses during his stay to share and experience "a day in the life of a farmer" or "fisherman" during his stay. Ma will also hold "townhall meetings" with local residents to listen to their opinions and expectations, Lo said. In addition, he will visit and hold interviews with popular local radio stations to communicate with local residents, Lo said.
■ Politics
No Hsieh, Su meeting
Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh's (謝長廷) office yesterday dismissed media speculation that he would meet with former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) to discuss cooperation in next year's presidential election. Asked for comments, Chao Tien-lin (趙天麟), spokesman for Hsieh's office, said Hsieh would not "deliberately" arrange a meeting with Su. Chao was responding to a report in the Chinese-language United Daily News yesterday saying the Presidential Office hoped Hsieh would schedule meetings with Su, who said on Friday he was not interested in running as Hsieh's vice presidential mate. Meanwhile, former acting Kaohsiung mayor Yeh Chu-lan (葉菊蘭), who has voiced her interest in being Hsieh's running mate, said she would do her best to campaign for Hsieh. "I leave the decision [whether I will be Hsieh's running mate] to fate," she said. "I will be happy no matter what the result is," she said at the airport prior to her departure for a visit to Japan.
■ Weather
Hot days ahead
The Central Weather Bureau warned of hot days ahead with daily temperatures expected to hit highs of 35?C. The bureau added that a mass of low pressure has formed south of Guam and could develop into clouds or rains. The high today is forecast to reach 35?C. The public is advised to carry umbrellas or raincoats as chances of afternoon showers are high.
■ Transport
Check Maokong schedule
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC), operator of the Maokong cable car system, has advised passengers who plan to take the cable car for a night view of the city to keep the schedule of the last cars in mind. The last cars leave at 9:30pm from Taipei Zoo and 10pm from Maokong in Muzha District (木柵). This weekend is the first holiday since the cable car system connecting two popular tourist attractions in Taipei -- the zoo and the Muzha tea-growing district -- was inaugurated on Wednesday. On weekends and holidays, the cable car system starts operations at 8:30am -- half an hour earlier than on working days, the TRTC said. The cable car system has so far attracted more than 50,000 passengers, the TRTC said. Given that the mountainous Muzha area is prone to summer thunderstorms, the company urged passengers to follow evacuation instructions when the system has to be closed for safety precautions during thunderstorms.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
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