SOCIETY
New residents choose ‘Chen’
“Chen” (陳) is the most popular surname of choice among foreign nationals when they are naturalized as Republic of China citizens and require a Chinese name, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Following “Chen,” “Lin” (林) and “Lee” (李) are the next most chosen surnames by naturalized residents, the ministry said. So far, 71,398 foreign nationals have become Taiwanese, using their own Chinese names. The surname “Chen” was favored by most naturalized Americans, Cambodians and Filipinos, the ministry’s tallies showed. Many Japanese chose “Lee” and “Chang” (張) as their surnames, while Indonesians seemed to favor “Huang” (黃), “Chen” and “Lin.” Most Vietnamese chose “Juan” (阮) “Chen” and “Li” (黎) as their Chinese surnames, while Koreans tended to call themselves by the Chinese surnames “Chin” (金), “Lee” and “Pu” (朴).
SPORTS
Linkou to house athletes
Taiwan is set to build the athletes’ village for the 2017 Summer Universiade in New Taipei City (新北市), with the project set to be completed by the end of 2016, Sports Affairs Council Minister Tai Hsia-ling (戴遐齡) said yesterday. Hsia said building the athletes’ village was one of the major tasks facing Taipei as it prepares to host the Universiade. The Summer University Games will be the highest-level and largest international sports event ever staged in Taiwan. The athletes’ village, to be situated on a 16 hectare site in Linkou District (林口), will include a transportation center, accommodation for 12,000 people, restaurants serving free food and beverages 24 hours a day, supermarkets, a medical center and a laundry, Tai said.
SOCIETY
Selective abortions down
Health authorities said yesterday that tougher checks on gender-selective abortions prevented nearly 1,000 terminations of female fetuses last year. The authorities moved to tighten curbs on the illegal abortions last year, warning that doctors found guilty of the practice could have their licenses revoked. “The strict measures have paid off,” said Lee Tsui-feng (李翠鳳), an official at the Bureau of Health Promotion. Government figures showed that 108 males were born for every 100 female babies last year, down from 109 in 2010. The normal sex ratio at birth globally is between 104 and 106 males for every 100 females. “That’s the same as 993 female fetuses saved last year,” Lee said.
TOURISM
Domestic travelers hit 11m
The number of people who traveled domestically during the Lunar New Year holidays hit about 11 million thanks to the longer-than-usual holiday period, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said on Monday. With the holidays spanning from Jan. 21 to Sunday, the volume of domestic travel showed an increase of 29 percent compared with last year, generating an output value of more than NT$10 billion (US$336 million), Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said. The most popular travel destinations during the holidays were national scenic areas, where tourist numbers accounted for half of the total number recorded nationwide during the period. Because of an early cold spell, the number of people enjoying outdoor activities was not significant, the ministry said, adding that hot spring owners saw a boost in business.
Taiwan's Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said Saturday that she would not be intimidated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), following reports that Chinese agents planned to ram her car during a visit to the Czech Republic last year. "I had a great visit to Prague & thank the Czech authorities for their hospitality & ensuring my safety," Hsiao said on social media platform X. "The CCP's unlawful activities will NOT intimidate me from voicing Taiwan's interests in the international community," she wrote. Hsiao visited the Czech Republic on March 18 last year as vice president-elect and met with Czech Senate leadership, including
There have been clear signs of Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attempts to interfere in the nationwide recall vote on July 26 in support of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators facing recall, an unnamed government official said, warning about possible further actions. The CCP is actively involved in Taiwanese politics, and interference in the recall vote is to be expected, with multiple Chinese state media and TAO attempts to discredit the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and undermine public support of their recall movement, the official said. This interference includes a smear campaign initiated this month by a pro-Beijing Hong Kong news outlet against
A week-long exhibition on modern Tibetan history and the Dalai Lama’s global advocacy opened yesterday in Taipei, featuring quotes and artworks highlighting human rights and China’s ongoing repression of Tibetans, Hong Kongers and Uighurs. The exhibition, the first organized by the Human Rights Network for Tibet and Taiwan (HRNTT), is titled “From the Snowy Ridges to the Ocean of Wisdom.” “It would be impossible for Tibetans inside Tibet to hold an exhibition like this — we can do it. because we live in a free and democratic country,” HRNTT secretary-general Tashi Tsering said. Tashi Tsering, a Taiwan-based Tibetan who has never
A first shipment of five tons of Taiwan tilapia was sent from Tainan to Singapore on Wednesday, following an order valued at NT$600,000 (US$20,500) placed with a company in the city. The products, including frozen whole fish and pre- cooked fish belly, were dispatched from Jiangjun Fishing Harbor, where a new aquatic processing and logistics center is under construction. At the launch, Tainan Mayor Huang Wei-che (黃偉哲) called the move a “breakthrough,” marking Taiwan’s expansion into the Singaporean tilapia market. Taiwan’s tilapia exports have traditionally focused on the United States, Canada, and the Middle East, Huang said, adding that the new foothold in
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