After local media reported that a Nantou County bikini contest would be held on the grounds of a Buddhist temple, County Commis-sioner Lee Chao-ching (李朝卿) yesterday clarified that a final decision had not been made on the venue for the event.
The Liberty Times (the Taipei Times' sister newspaper) and CTI-TV, among other media outlets, reported yesterday that the Miss Bikini World 2006 finals were going to be held on the grounds of the Chung Tai Chan Monastery, with the hope of promoting the county's local culture and luring tourists.
Lee said in a press conference on Tuesday that the contest should be held at the monastery because the temple there was a "marvel" that contestants -- who will arrive from many countries for the swimwear spectacular -- should see. He said holding the event at the monastery would help put Nantou County on the map, according to yesterday's reports.
Lee contacted the temple last week and gave them three days to mull over the idea, the reports said. Later he visited Master Weijue (
But Lee said yesterday during a press conference that although Weijue had agreed to host the bikini competition, the nation's Miss Bikini World 2006 Committee had not made a decision on where the event will be held.
Chen Chi-han (
The committee won't officially announce its final decision until Aug. 12, Chen said.
Lee said that he hoped to promote tourism in the area, and that the pageant could be held at Sun Moon Lake (日月潭) and Puli Township in addition to the monastery.
"If bikinis are not appropriate for the monastery, then the category in which contestants wear traditional outfits from their countries can be held at the temple, while the bikini segment can be held at Sun Moon Lake," Lee said.
At first Weijue did not think it was a good idea to host a beauty pageant, since the Buddhist faith preaches against vanity, the Liberty Times reported.
But he then agreed that the contest could be held at the Pu Tai Elementary and Junior High School grounds, situated next to the monastery.
Master Chienyun (
Chienyun acknowledged that some might be scandalized at the monastery's decision to allow a bikini contest on the temple grounds, but he stressed that the school where the contest would be held is separate from the dojo -- a hall where Buddhists practice meditation, the report said.
Also, the school was built with public contributions, so lending the ground to the county for activities was a way for the monastery to give back to the public, he said.
‘TAIWAN-FRIENDLY’: The last time the Web site fact sheet removed the lines on the US not supporting Taiwanese independence was during the Biden administration in 2022 The US Department of State has removed a statement on its Web site that it does not support Taiwanese independence, among changes that the Taiwanese government praised yesterday as supporting Taiwan. The Taiwan-US relations fact sheet, produced by the department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, previously stated that the US opposes “any unilateral changes to the status quo from either side; we do not support Taiwan independence; and we expect cross-strait differences to be resolved by peaceful means.” In the updated version published on Thursday, the line stating that the US does not support Taiwanese independence had been removed. The updated
‘CORRECT IDENTIFICATION’: Beginning in May, Taiwanese married to Japanese can register their home country as Taiwan in their spouse’s family record, ‘Nikkei Asia’ said The government yesterday thanked Japan for revising rules that would allow Taiwanese nationals married to Japanese citizens to list their home country as “Taiwan” in the official family record database. At present, Taiwanese have to select “China.” Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said the new rule, set to be implemented in May, would now “correctly” identify Taiwanese in Japan and help protect their rights, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. The statement was released after Nikkei Asia reported the new policy earlier yesterday. The name and nationality of a non-Japanese person marrying a Japanese national is added to the
AT RISK: The council reiterated that people should seriously consider the necessity of visiting China, after Beijing passed 22 guidelines to punish ‘die-hard’ separatists The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has since Jan. 1 last year received 65 petitions regarding Taiwanese who were interrogated or detained in China, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. Fifty-two either went missing or had their personal freedoms restricted, with some put in criminal detention, while 13 were interrogated and temporarily detained, he said in a radio interview. On June 21 last year, China announced 22 guidelines to punish “die-hard Taiwanese independence separatists,” allowing Chinese courts to try people in absentia. The guidelines are uncivilized and inhumane, allowing Beijing to seize assets and issue the death penalty, with no regard for potential
‘UNITED FRONT’ FRONTS: Barring contact with Huaqiao and Jinan universities is needed to stop China targeting Taiwanese students, the education minister said Taiwan has blacklisted two Chinese universities from conducting academic exchange programs in the nation after reports that the institutes are arms of Beijing’s United Front Work Department, Minister of Education Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀) said in an exclusive interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister paper) published yesterday. China’s Huaqiao University in Xiamen and Quanzhou, as well as Jinan University in Guangzhou, which have 600 and 1,500 Taiwanese on their rolls respectively, are under direct control of the Chinese government’s political warfare branch, Cheng said, citing reports by national security officials. A comprehensive ban on Taiwanese institutions collaborating or
RSS