■ AVIATION
Chopper pilot had no license
PHOTO: CNA
The pilot of a helicopter that was forced to land in Ilan County's Jiaosi Township (礁溪) on Sunday has no legal operating license and will be penalized in terms of the Civil Aviation Act (民用航空法), the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The helicopter, a Robinson R-22, was found in the parking lot of a hot spring hotel in Jiaosi. Unable to find the pilot, the local police tied the helicopter to a police motorcycle to prevent it being flown away. The police later found the owner, 45-year-old Wei Chin-lien (魏金連), and discovered that he had done the same thing nine years ago, when he was forced to land in Bade Township (八德), Taoyuan County. The CAA yesterday confirmed that Ilan County prosecutors had confiscated the helicopter's rotor blades. The body will be transported to Songshan Airport for storage. Wei could face up to five years in prison or a fine of NT$1 million (US$31,500).
■ HEALTH
Dialysis centers show losses
Fierce competition among dialysis centers mean that more than 30 percent of the nation's dialysis centers are operating at a loss, the Taiwan Society of Nephrology said yesterday. The society responded to recent media reports portraying the centers as hugely profitable and questioned the appropriateness of non-medical businesses such as farmer's associations investing in dialysis centers as moneyspinners. The society called on medical service providers to think carefully before making the substantial investment necessary to start a dialysis center.
■ SOCIETY
Foreign spouses get help
A handbook in six languages that provides foreign spouses in Kaohsiung City with information on living in Taiwan has been warmly received, officials at the city's Civil Affairs Bureau said yesterday. The Kaohsiung City Government Foreign Spouse Manual, printed in Chinese, English, Vietnamese, Indonesian, Cambodian and Thai, provides foreign spouses with a better understanding of local customs and easier access to important information, such as how to apply for citizenship, the officials said. The bureau said that 19,123 foreign spouses were living in Kaohsiung City. Among the 11 municipal districts, Siaogang, with a population of 151,932, counted 804 registered foreign spouses from Southeast Asia, 60 percent of whom were from Vietnam.
■ ARTS
Troupe laments exposure
The fire that burned down the rehearsal studio of the Cloud Gate dance troupe put the troupe on the front page of local newspapers for the first time in its 35-year history, the founder said on Sunday, lamenting that it took a disaster to raise the troupe's profile. The Cloud Gate Dance Theatre has staged more than 1,500 shows locally and globally, each attracting an average of 60,000 people. The troupe is generally regarded as having made a major contribution to raising Taiwan's global image. However, the theater's founder, Lin Hwai-min (林懷民), complained that Cloud Gate's performances had never been covered by local newspapers as a front-page story until the fire early last Monday, which he said reflected a general lack of understanding of the performing arts in Taiwan.
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.
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
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