■ POLITICS
New NSC chief sworn in
Hu Wei-jen (胡為真), former representative to Singapore, was sworn in as secretary-general of the National Security Council (NSC) yesterday. Hu replaces Su Chi (蘇起), who resigned unexpectedly on Feb. 11, citing health and family reasons. Both the Presidential Office and Su's close aide dismissed the speculation that he stepped down to take responsibility for the controversy over US beef. While Presidential Office Spokesman Wan Yu-chi (王郁琦) has said that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) could still seek Su's advice, Su’s close aide said he had no immediate plan to offer such services. Hu, a 62-year-old career diplomat, is the son of general Hu Tsung-nan (胡宗南), who won the affection of dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) because of his anti-Japanese efforts. Under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government, Hu Wei-jen served as the envoy to Germany and Singapore. In 2007, he publicly criticized the DPP for its anti-Chiang policies and later resigned his post in Singapore.
■ DIPLOMACY
MOFA rejects travel rumors
Minister of Foreign Affairs Henry Chen (陳銘政) yesterday dismissed media reports that President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was planning to visit the nation's South Pacific allies next month or in April. Everything is still under consideration and has not been finalized, Chen said. The Central News Agency reported on Monday that the ministry had suggested that Ma consider paying a visit to each of the six countries, instead of attending the Third Taiwan-South Pacific summit. Originally planned to be held last year, the summit was postponed because of the damage caused by Typhoon Morakot in Taiwan last August.
■ AGRICULTURE
DPP warns on import origin
Large quantities of dried daylilies from China are entering the country illegally by being passed off as products of Vietnam, hurting local farmers' interests, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers said yesterday. Taiwan bans the import of 830 Chinese agricultural products, including dried daylilies. However, banned Chinese agricultural products have found their way into Taiwan either through smuggling or by being presented as the product of a third country. DPP Legislator Pan Men-an (潘孟安) said that 73,830kg of dried daylilies, purportedly from Vietnam, were imported into the country last year. The shipments were accompanied by Vietnamese certificates of origin, but Pan said Vietnam does not produce a lot of daylilies. Customs officials said the certificate of origin is not the only document checked when screening incoming shipments, adding that Vietnamese customs officials are also working with Taiwan to prevent their country from being blamed unfairly for helping other countries engage in illegal imports.
■ EDUCATION
Sample English classes
The British Council in Taipei will host an open house on Sunday to allow the public to try its English courses for free. The sample classes will include English for adults, English for young learners and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) preparation, the council said yesterday. Alison Marwick, director of the council's English Language Services, said the office had invested a great deal of money to upgrade classroom equipment, such as interactive white boards and notebooks, to improve the learning process. People interested in the program can call (02) 8722-1000 to register, , or e-mail englishcourses@britishcouncil.org.tw
An essay competition jointly organized by a local writing society and a publisher affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) might have contravened the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said on Thursday. “In this case, the partner organization is clearly an agency under the CCP’s Fujian Provincial Committee,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesperson Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said at a news briefing in Taipei. “It also involves bringing Taiwanese students to China with all-expenses-paid arrangements to attend award ceremonies and camps,” Liang said. Those two “characteristics” are typically sufficient
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
The Central Weather Administration has issued a heat alert for southeastern Taiwan, warning of temperatures as high as 36°C today, while alerting some coastal areas of strong winds later in the day. Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門) and Pingtung County’s Neipu Township (內埔) are under an orange heat alert, which warns of temperatures as high as 36°C for three consecutive days, the CWA said, citing southwest winds. The heat would also extend to Tainan’s Nansi (楠西) and Yujing (玉井) districts, as well as Pingtung’s Gaoshu (高樹), Yanpu (鹽埔) and Majia (瑪家) townships, it said, forecasting highs of up to 36°C in those areas
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
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