SOCIETY
PRC flag found on cliff
Mountain climbers are seeking ways to remove a People’s Republic of China (PRC) flag from a tree perched on the cliff of a mountain in New Taipei City (新北市). The climbers said the location of the tree on the 639m Wuliaochien (五寮尖) in Sansia (三峽) is such that anyone who wants to remove the flag will have to climb 10m of steep and slippery cliffs and then climb straight up the tall tree. As the removal of the flag is challenging, some climbers said they will attempt to take it down by throwing a rope or asking experienced climbers to assist in its removal.
TRANSPORTATION
Railway festival opens
A series of events featuring the nation’s railway network, which has played an important role in Taipei’s development, opened yesterday, Taipei Railways Administration (TRA) officials said. The festival, which runs through Oct. 26, includes outdoor activities, tours and seminars at the historic Taipei Railway Workshop. There will be theme-guided tours, including one on how the transportation of liquor, sugar and tobacco via the rail network helped fuel the nation’s economy during the Japanese colonial era, the TRA said. Seminars on railway architecture, maintenance and modernization will also be given, it said. Visitors can take part in hands-on workshops that allow participants to use discarded machine components to create toys. The last day of the festival will feature a full-day free garden party with rock music performances, a vintage market and documentary screenings, the TRA said.
TOURISM
Overseas trips up 6.8%
Taiwanese travelers have been making more overseas trips as tourism within the country has slowed down, according to the latest tourism data released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS). Citing statistics compiled by the Tourism Bureau, the DGBAS said that Taiwanese made 10.24 million overseas trips last year, up 6.8 percent from a year earlier, for which they spent NT$499.1 billion (US$16.75 billion), an increase of 7.5 percent. On average, each person spent NT$48,740 on each trip abroad, a 0.63 percent annual increase, with the total rising to NT$52,384 — or 0.9 percent growth — when including domestic consumption related to the trip, such as luggage or personal items purchased before boarding. Within Taiwan, travel was down to 142 million domestic trips, a decrease of 6.7 percent from the year-earlier level, statistics showed. DGBAS officials attributed the decline mainly to the higher comparative basis in 2011, which was fueled by the country’s centennial celebrations.
DIPLOMACY
Pacific program planned
Taiwan will hold a program later this month for foreign young adults from Pacific countries to learn more about Taiwan’s development, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. Thirty participants from Taiwan’s six Pacific allies, including Kiribati, Nauru and the Marshall Islands, will come to Taiwan for the annual program, being held from Sept. 25 to Oct. 4, the ministry said in a statement. During the 10-day program, participants will attend seminars and visit various locations around the country to learn more about the country’s political and economic environment, culture and agriculture, the ministry said. The foreign attendees will also be accompanied by Taiwanese young adults.
Four factors led to the declaration of a typhoon day and the cancelation of classes yesterday, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. Work and classes were canceled across Taiwan yesterday as Typhoon Krathon was forecast to make landfall in the southern part of the country. However, northern Taiwan had only heavy winds during the day and rain in the evening, leading some to criticize the cancelation. Speaking at a Taipei City Council meeting yesterday, Chiang said the decision was made due to the possibility of landslides and other problems in mountainous areas, the need to avoid a potentially dangerous commute for those
There are 77 incidents of Taiwanese travelers going missing in China between January last year and last month, the Straits Exchange Foundation (SEF) said. More than 40 remain unreachable, SEF Secretary-General Luo Wen-jia (羅文嘉) said on Friday. Most of the reachable people in the more than 30 other incidents were allegedly involved in fraud, while some had disappeared for personal reasons, Luo said. One of these people is Kuo Yu-hsuan (郭宇軒), a 22-year-old Taiwanese man from Kaohsiung who went missing while visiting China in August. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said in a news statement that he was under investigation
PRO-CHINA SLOGANS: Two DPP members criticized police officers’ lack of action at the scene, saying that law enforcement authorities should investigate the incident Chinese tourists allegedly interrupted a protest in Taipei on Tuesday held by Hong Kongers, knocked down several flags and shouted: “Taiwan and Hong Kong belong to China.” Hong Kong democracy activists were holding a demonstration as Tuesday was China’s National Day. A video posted online by civic group Hong Kong Outlanders shows a couple, who are allegedly Chinese, during the demonstration. “Today is China’s National Day, and I won’t allow the displaying of these flags,” the male yells in the video before pushing some demonstrators and knocking down a few flagpoles. Radio Free Asia reported that some of the demonstrators
China is attempting to subsume Taiwanese culture under Chinese culture by promulgating legislation on preserving documents on ties between the Minnan region and Taiwan, a Taiwanese academic said yesterday. China on Tuesday enforced the Fujian Province Minnan and Taiwan Document Protection Act to counter Taiwanese cultural independence with historical evidence that would root out misleading claims, Chinese-language media outlet Straits Today reported yesterday. The act is “China’s first ad hoc local regulations in the cultural field that involve Taiwan and is a concrete step toward implementing the integrated development demonstration zone,” Fujian Provincial Archives deputy director Ma Jun-fan (馬俊凡) said. The documents
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