■JUSTICE
Chen questioned on projects
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was questioned at the Taipei Detention Center yesterday by the Investigation Bureau on matters regarding classified diplomatic projects. Lee Ta-chu (李大竹), deputy director of the center where Chen is being detained, said that investigators questioned Chen from about 10am to 1:40pm. Special Investigation Panel prosecutors have investigated corruption allegations related to classified diplomatic projects during Chen’s presidency. However, Chen’s lawyer, Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳), told reporters: “According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, because Chen has already been indicted, investigators cannot reopen the case for investigation.” Chen was accompanied by Shih and another lawyer, Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍), during the questioning. Lee declined to comment on details regarding the questioning.
■TRANSPORTATION
Railway to go electric
The railway between Hualien and Taitung counties will be fully electrified by 2013 as part of government efforts to upgrade rail services in eastern Taiwan, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said during an inspection tour of Taitung yesterday. Mao said the railway electrification project would begin later this year. Huang Chung-chieh (黃中杰), chief of the eastern Taiwan division of the Railway Reconstruction Bureau, said that after the 155km railway is electrified, the railway’s speed would increase from 110kph to 130kph, shortening travel time.
■TRANSPORTATION
Freeway links Wufong, Puli
National Freeway No. 6 linking Wufong in Taichung County to Puli in Nantou County was officially opened on Saturday. The 37.6km freeway incorporates high-tech and eco-friendly materials and techniques and will help boost Nantou’s tourism and agriculture, officials said. Nantou is rich in agricultural and tourism resources. One of its major products is Oolong tea and its tourist attractions include Sun Moon Lake and Shitou Forest Recreational Area, two of the country’s most popular scenic areas. The freeway is the first in Taiwan to prioritize the concept of sustainable growth by trying to minimize the impact on the environment along its route. The construction of National Freeway No. 6 started in 2004 and cost NT$37.6 billion (US$1.11 billion).
■ECONOMY
Cabinet proposes cap
The Cabinet last night said that the ceiling on interest rates for credit card and cash cards should be capped at 15.5 percent, based on the maximum 12 percent interest rate for non-collateralized loans set by the central bank plus a floating annual rate currently set at 3.5 percent. The rate cap is higher than the 12.5 percent cap suggested last week by lawmakers. The legislature’s Judicial Committee last Thursday preliminarily approved an amendment to the Civil Code (民法) that would cut the limit on all contracted interest rates from 20 percent to 9 percent above the central bank’s rate for three-month loans without collateral. In response to strong opposition voiced by foreign and domestic banks on the legislature’s move, Vice Premier Paul Chiu (邱正雄) called a meeting of economic officials last night. Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Sean Chen (陳冲) suggested lawmakers stipulate a cap of the interest rate based on Article 41 of the Banking Act (銀行法) and not the Civil Code so as not to affect other kinds of loans in the private lending market.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Many Japanese couples are coming to Taiwan to obtain donated sperm or eggs for fertility treatment due to conservatism in their home country, Taiwan’s high standards and low costs, doctors said. One in every six couples in Japan is receiving infertility treatment, Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare data show. About 70,000 children are born in Japan every year through in vitro fertilization (IVF), or about one in every 11 children born. Few people accept donated reproductive cells in Japan due to a lack of clear regulations, leaving treatment in a “gray zone,” Taichung Nuwa Fertility Center medical director Wang Huai-ling (王懷麟)
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
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