■ Diplomacy
Academic denies HK posting
National Chi Nan University political science professor Byron Weng (翁松燃) denied yesterday that he had been appointed as Taiwan's new representative to Hong Kong. Weng, formerly a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and currently an adviser to President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), denied a report carried in the Hong Kong Economic Journal yesterday that he had been appointed to replace Chang Liang-jen (張良任), managing director of the Chung Hwa Travel Service, Taiwan's de facto consulate in Hong Kong. In a telephone interview, Weng emphatically denied there was any truth to the report, saying, "There is absolutely no such thing [taking place]." Chang also denied the report, describing it as a fabrication. The Chung Hwa Travel Service is an agency under the control of the Mainland Affairs Council.
■ Health
Not too late to quit
Some may joke that it's never too late to start smoking, but for 89-year-old Huang He-ping (黃和平), it's never too late to quit. Huang is the oldest participant in Taipei's "quit and win" competition aimed at getting people to stop smoking. Huang said yesterday that as a smoker for the past 73 years, "I've quit smoking more than 300 times, but haven't succeeded yet in really stopping." He said that this time might be the one, given that there is a big cash prize as an incentive. Huang, who worked as a reporter and police officer when he was young, said the high pressure of the two jobs started him smoking. He used to smoke a pack and half of a day, and still smokes around a dozen cigarettes daily. "Quitting smoking is like writing an article, and one has to undergo some excruciating trials," Huang said, adding that the best way to quit smoking is to go to public places where you can't bother others with your habit. But the urge to smoke surfaces later, he added, when you get back home or go outdoors.
■ Foreign affairs
Caution urged in Philippines
Taiwan's representative to the Philippines, Wu Shin-hsing (吳新興), warned Taiwanese yesterday to avoid the Philippines following an attack on a building in Manila in which a foreign oil firm is located. Wu made the comment after suspected communist guerrillas fired a rocket-propelled grenade a day earlier at a building in the Makati business district in which oil firm Philipinas Shell Petroleum Corp is housed. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Manila is just a few meters from the building. Wu warned people not to visit the Philippines in the run-up to its May 10 presidential and general elections, saying that the political situation and public order have become increasingly unstable. Meanwhile, security measures in the buildings in which the Taiwan representative office and private staff residences are accommodated have been strengthened, he added.
■ Library science
Team visits Vatican
Council for Cultural Affairs Vice Chairman Wu Mi-cha (吳密察) and other officials visited the Vatican Museums and the Italian Culture Department yesterday to observe its documentation storage procedures. Wu and his group arrived in Rome on Saturday for a four-day visit. They will visit the Holy See's library to exchange views on secret filing before leaving for Germany today.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by