■ POLITICS
Case against Hsieh dropped
District prosecutors yesterday said they would not prosecute former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) for accusing President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) of possessing a valid US green card. During Hsieh’s bid for the presidency, the Hsieh camp said Ma had a valid green card. Ma countered that his green card became invalid about 20 years ago. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus filed a lawsuit on behalf of Ma in March last year before the election. They accused Hsieh of violating the Election and Recall Act for Public Servants (公務人員選舉罷免法), which bars the spreading of “rumors or untruths through words, pictures, speeches or other means in an attempt to prevent a certain candidate from being elected.” Prosecutors said that as Ma was running for the presidency, whether he possessed a green card was a matter of public concern. The prosecutors said some of Hsieh’s claims were later shown to be true, which showed that he was not merely fabricating aspersions to smear his opponent.
■ TRAVEL
MOFA adjusts alert system
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday added a “gray” category to its travel alert system, which offers advice for people going abroad. The system now consists of a gray alert, urging travelers to exercise caution; a yellow alert, urging extra precautions and care in assessing the safety of one’s destination; an orange alert, recommending that citizens avoid all non-essential travel to a country; and a red alert advising against all travel to a country. MOFA said the system was one guideline for travelers, but that all travelers should carefully evaluate their destinations when planning trips abroad.
■ SOCIETY
‘Famine camp’ planned
The local chapter of the Christian charity World Vision yesterday said Academia Sinica would participate for the second consecutive year in the organization’s Thirty-Hour Famine by hosting a 12-hour “famine camp” to raise awareness of poverty. “This year, top academics will again go without food for 12 hours, from 9am to 9pm on July 10, and learn about humanitarian issues,” World Vision Taiwan said in a press statement. World Vision Taiwan said that 300 people from Academia Sinica had signed up for the event — tripling last year’s figure. In its 20th year, the Thirty-Hour Famine program features a series of activities to raise funds to fight hunger. This year’s events will include a Famine Hero Rally on Aug. 15 and Aug. 16 and a famine challenge in which participants fast for 12 to 30 hours on their own.
■ EDUCATION
Biology camp in session
High school students made lanterns from puffer fish yesterday as part of a five-day marine biology camp at National Taiwan Ocean University. Students removed the skins of the fish, immersed them in the preservative formalin and stuffed them with paper to retain their shape. The lanterns were then decorated with other parts of the fish. The spiny puffer is a small fish with spines used for defense when threatened. More than 30 students are participating in the biology camp. Other activities included making fish food, learning about aquatic invertebrates, visiting the university’s aquatic animal center and learning about breeding fish.
■ SAFETY
Kinmen shipwreck drill
The Kinmen County Government said it would hold a shipwreck drill on Sept. 15 for the route between Kinmen and Xiamen. Officials will seek to determine whether a joint rescue mechanism with China is needed, a county official said yesterday. The drill will simulate a collision between a Chinese cargo ship and a passenger boat with 162 people on board en route from Kinmen’s Shueitou Pier to Xiamen’s Dongdu Wharf. During the exercise, teams will be dispatched to the scene to “rescue” passengers who fell overboard and to “treat” the wounded. Although such an accident could occur in the area, Kinmen may not have the capabilities to handle a disaster of that magnitude, Kinmen County Commissioner Lee Chu-feng (李柱烽) said.
■ EVENTS
Rain Festival to begin
The Ilan County Government is inviting the public to take part in the Ilan International Rain Festival, which opens on Saturday. This year’s festival is expected to attract more than 1 million visitors from home and abroad. Ilan County Commissioner Lu Guo-hwa (呂國華) said the event this year would be on a larger scale than last year, with more diverse activities, including three theme areas — the Wulaokeng Adventure Park, the Dongshan River Park and the Toucheng Vigorous Ocean Paradise. The festival will feature performances by Wuqiao acrobatic troupes from Hebei Province, China, a Nanta drumming show from South Korea, a bamboo orchestra from the Philippines and other attractions such as a pop music festival, a beauty pageant, a surfing competition, a street dancing competition, a creativity market and a beach wedding ceremony. Admission to the Toucheng Vigorous Ocean Paradise is free, while tickets for the Wulaokeng Adventure Park and the Dongshan River Park will vary depending on entry time and group size. The festival ends on Aug. 23.
■ EDUCATION
‘Ambassadors’ fly to Japan
Six fifth-graders from Chiayi County departed for Japan to take part in a two-week global youth camp as Taiwanese junior ambassadors, the county’s Education Department said on Tuesday. Chiayi County Commissioner Chen Ming-wen (陳明文) met the children to give them encouragement during a flag handover ceremony on Tuesday, a day before the 21st Asia-Pacific Children’s Convention (APCC) began in Fukuoka, Japan. Prior to the trip, the three boys and three girls selected from Siang He Elementary School in Chiayi County attended weekly training workshops to study English and Japanese and gain an understanding of international etiquette. The APCC said that the government-funded organization invites children from the Asia-Pacific region to Fukuoka as “junior ambassadors” to improve their international understanding through exchange programs including homestays, school visits and exchange camps.
■ POLITICS
Impeachment attempt fails
The Control Yuan yesterday failed to pass an impeachment motion against former Toronto-based Government Information Office (GIO) official Kuo Kuan-ying (郭冠英), who used insulting terms to refer to Taiwan and Taiwanese people in a series of online articles under the pen name Fan Lan-chin (范蘭欽). Control Yuan member Chien Lin Hui-chun’s (錢林慧君) proposal to impeach Kuo was voted down 7 to 4, but she said that she would bring up the motion again after making revisions to her impeachment statement.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
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