Sat, Jun 19, 2010 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • STAFF WRITER WITH CNA
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  ■ TRANSPORTATION

  Officials punished over MRT

  The Taipei City Government yesterday took disciplinary action against 21 officials and staff deemed to be responsible for the frequent malfunctions on the Wenhu MRT Line. Taipei Secretariat Director Yang Hsi-an (楊錫安), who oversaw the MRT project, was given a demerit while Taipei Deputy Secretariat Director Tan Gwa-guang (譚國光), who was also responsible for overseeing the project, was given two warnings. Chairperson of the Public Construction Commission Fan Liang-shiow (范良銹), former director of Taipei City’s Department of Rapid Transit Systems (DORTS), was given a written warning. Former director of the DORTS Tom Chang (常岐德), who stepped down last year following frequent system shutdowns and malfunctions on the line, escaped punishment due to his resignation, the city government said. The punishments follow the Control Yuan’s censure of the city government last month over the line.

  ■ TOURISM

  Visa regulations relaxed

  Taiwan is to extend by two months the period for which entry visas can be used by Chinese visitors, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. “We hope the new regulation will boost the number of mainland visitors to Taiwan ... and allow them more flexibility in planning their trips,” said an official from the ministry. Although Chinese visitors will now have three months in which to make their trip instead of just one, they will still only be allowed to spend a maximum of 15 days in Taiwan. More than 1.2 million Chinese have visited Taiwan since rules on Chinese tourists were first relaxed in July 2008, government data shows.

  ■ SOCIETY

  Biker begins Taiwan trip

  A 62-year-old Japanese man who has traveled around the world by motorcycle began a trip around Taiwan yesterday. Takashi Kasori began his motorcycle journeys in Africa when he was 20 and has since visited 133 countries and covered more than 1.25 million kilometers, a distance equal to circling the planet 31 times. He also holds a Guinness World Record for visiting 3,000 Japanese hot springs in 300 days on his motorbike in 2007. Kasori has traveled to the Andes in South America, Ayers Rock in Australia, and along the Silk Road in China. He said his most memorable destination is the Sahara desert, which he crossed in a series of 14 trips over a period of two-and-a-half years. “I see the motorcycle as part of my life,” Kasori said, adding that he tied himself to the vehicle when he was sleeping in the desert. This is the first time Kasori has visited Taiwan and he plans to visit temples during his six-day trip.

  ■ EDUCATION

  Control Yuan gives censures

  The Control Yuan yesterday censured the Executive Yuan, the Ministry of Education and local governments for failing to regulate schools that impose additional fees on elementary and junior school students, saying that many schools invent various pretexts to charge students additional fees. The government watchdog said the agencies censured had failed in their duties after ignoring a problem parents have long complained about. The Control Yuan demanded the agencies come up with effective solutions at the earliest possible opportunity. Control Yuan member Frank Wu (吳豐山) said some schools asked students to pay utility and maintenance fees for attending swimming classes and computer equipment maintenance fees for attending computer classes, which are supposed to be part of tuition fees.
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