HEALTHCARE
Kaohsiung to help homeless
The Kaohsiung City Government is to provide homeless people in the city with clothes, hot meals and sleeping bags so they can keep warm as the weather turns colder with the arrival of a cold air mass. Social workers and volunteers are being mobilized to go to areas frequented by the city’s homeless to ensure they receive the assistance the city government is offering, Kaohsiung social affairs officials said yesterday. Emergency measures to provide the homeless with shelter have also been activated, including opening service centers and negotiating with local hostels to provide accomodations, the officials said. A cold air mass was forecast to arrive in Taiwan last night, which was expected to push temperatures down to about 10°C tonight and early tomorrow in northern coastal areas, with temperatures of 14-15°C expected in south regions, the Central Weather Bureau said.
DIPLOMACY
MAC calls for Trump support
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday urged the incoming administration of US president-elect Donald Trump to support Taipei’s continued efforts to maintain cross-strait peace and reiterated that Taiwan should not be used as a bargaining chip in the relationship between the US and China. The government attaches great importance to Taiwan’s relations with the US and China, and remains consistent and firm on its policy of promoting cross-strait peace and stability, council Deputy Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said at a media briefing, when asked about Trump saying that he would negotiate the “one China” policy with Beijing after taking office. Taipei is committed to promoting a balanced relationship with the US and China and hopes that the new US government, on the basis of the Taiwan Relations Act and the “six assurances,” will support Taiwan’s efforts to maintain cross-strait peace, Chiu said. He asked Washington to convey to Beijing the importance of mutual respect and communication with Taiwan and to urge Beijing to adopt a more rational and friendly attitude toward Taipei.
EDUCATION
University sets up think tank
National University of Kaohsiung on Wednesday announced that it had established a Southeast Asia development center, which is to serve as a think tank for the implementation of the government’s “new southbound policy.” The university decided to establish the center to consolidate the resources of the government, industrial and academic sectors to nurture Southeast Asia experts, in line with the “new southbound policy” that was initiated by President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration last year, university president Wang Shyue-liang (王學亮) said at the center’s opening ceremony. “The center will become a platform for cooperation among the government, industrial and academic sectors,” he said, adding that it would also collect and analyze information on the political and economic situation in the region, which would serve as a reference for potential investors. Plans are already in place for a summer program this year at the center, which is to offer intensive training courses mainly for vocational, senior-high school and university students in Vietnam, Wang said. The Vietnamese students are expected to become the main source of foreign enrollment at the university, he added.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
A small number of Taiwanese this year lost their citizenship rights after traveling in China and obtaining a one-time Chinese passport to cross the border into Russia, a source said today. The people signed up through Chinese travel agencies for tours of neighboring Russia with companies claiming they could obtain Russian visas and fast-track border clearance, the source said on condition of anonymity. The travelers were actually issued one-time-use Chinese passports, they said. Taiwanese are prohibited from holding a Chinese passport or household registration. If found to have a Chinese ID, they may lose their resident status under Article 9-1
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
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