■ SOCIETY
Hiker dies on Mount Fuji
The body of a Taiwanese-American who went missing last weekend while climbing Mount Fuji in Japan has been found, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that it would offer all necessary assistance to the victim’s family. A Japanese rescue team found the body of Jerry Yu (余宗佑), 30, who was working in Tokyo and went missing during a climb with a group of 20 colleagues, said Peter Tsai (蔡明耀), secretary-general of the ministry’s Association of East Asian Relations. “We received information from Japan that Yu’s body was found at the bottom of a cliff,” Tsai said. “The foreign ministry is now helping members of Yu’s family go to Japan.”
■ HEALTH
DOH works on care policy
The Department of Health (DOH) yesterday launched a panel to work toward a long-term care insurance program. The panel’s main tasks will be to draft a law to create the program by the end of next year, said Day Guey-ing (戴桂英), the group’s deputy convener. The Cabinet has estimated that in the next 10 years, the demand for caregivers will be between 12,000 and 62,000. Asia University vice president Yang Chih-liang (楊志良), one of the planners of the program, said people would most likely be required to hire licensed caregivers if they want to claim insurance coverage. This would affect people who hire foreign workers at lower wages who are not licensed as caregivers, Yaung said. In addition, insurance payments to people who hire licensed foreign caregivers would probably be half the sum paid out to those who hire local workers, he said. This would prevent an influx of foreign caregivers that would drive down salaries for local caregivers or make them less competitive, he said.
■ TRANSPORTATION
Flight routes to change
Starting Wednesday, cross-strait flights will take routes decided on in a deal inked at cross-strait negotiations in April. Civil Aeronautics Administration Director-General Lee Lung-wen (李龍文) said yesterday that flights to and from Shanghai, Nanjing, Beijing and Hangzhou would continue to take a northern route already in use. On this route, Taiwan and China exchange flight control at a navigation point called “Sulem.” Flights to and from Guangzhou, Xiamen and other southern cities that cross Hong Kong air space will now communicate directly with Guangzhou, with flight control exchanging at a point called “Oldid.” Another northern route will be added, with flight control exchanged at a point called “Salmi.” Flights will proceed straight from Salmi to northeastern cities in China, including Dalian, Qingdao, Shenyang and Harbin. “The new northern route will shorten flight time by 24 minutes, while the new southern route will cut travel time by five minutes,” Lee said.
■ POLITICS
Su Chi to meet Saito
National Security Council Secretary-General Su Chi (蘇起) has accepted a request by Japanese Representative Masaki Saito for a meeting, media reported yesterday. Some media interpreted the decision as an “end to a ban” on meetings between senior Taiwanese officials and Saito. The envoy’s comment in May that Taiwan’s status remained unresolved sparked a controversy, with Saito apologizing and retracting his remarks after Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrew Hsia (夏立言) protested. Media reports claimed that since the incident, senior officials have boycotted Saito, an allegation the Presidential Office has rebutted.
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