■ Real Estate
Madame Chiang's home sold
The New York apartment of Taiwan's former first lady Soong Mayling (蔣宋美齡), popularly known as Madame Chiang, has been sold for US$10 million, a local newspaper said yesterday. The sale was confirmed by Kung Ling-yi (孔令儀), a niece of Madame Chiang, the United Evening News said. The ninth-floor apartment was owned by the family of Madame Chang's elder sister, Soong Ai-ling (宋譪玲). Madame Chiang died at the age of 105 last October. She had spent her last nine years in New York and is buried in Ferncliff cemetery outside the city. She was the widow of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), head of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and ruler of Nationalist China before and during the Second World War.
■ Diplomacy
Justice minister visits US
Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) left for Los Angeles yesterday to take part in the 2004 conference of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). Chen will give a speech at the "state dinner" of the annual meeting, in which attorneys general from the 50 states of the US will participate. Taiwan has for many years dispatched prosecutors to attend the important meeting and has invited NAAG members to visit in order to bolster mutual understanding and exchanges. While in the US, Chen will also meet overseas Chinese in other cities. He is slated to return to Taiwan on June 30.
■ Community
Filipinos observe national day
The Philippine community in Taiwan celebrated the 106th anniversary of the Republic of the Philippines at the Taiwan International Workers' Association (TIWA) headquarters in Taipei yesterday. "It means a lot to the migrant community to be able to celebrate their country's independence day in a foreign community. It is a good way for them to come together," said TIWA chairwoman Susan Chen. Although the Philippine independence day falls on June 12, this year's celebration was held a day late so that workers could enjoy it on their day off. This year's celebration was organized by the Taiwan chapter of the Overseas Foreign Workers' Club, Tamshui Filipino Community, Samahang Makata, Genuine Ilokano Taiwan Association, Kasapi and the Cordillera Organization in Taiwan.
■ Diplomacy
Overseas staffers nominated
Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (陳唐山) yesterday revealed various possible nominees for the ministry's overseas posts, including representatives to the US and Japan. Chen said that both Joanne Chang (裘兆琳), a researcher at the Institute of European and American Studies under the Academia Sinica, and Stanley Kao (高碩泰), vice permanent representative to the World Trade Organization, will be appointed as new vice representatives to the US. Kao will travel with Taiwan's representative-designate David Lee (李大維) to Washington to take over their new offices, Chen added. He also revealed that there exists a great possibility that his predecessor Eugene Chien (簡又新) will be named as Taiwan's new representative to the EU to fill the post left vacant by Lee. Furthermore, he said that the appointment of Koh Se-kai (許世楷) as Taiwan's representative to Japan should present no problems and that Koh's deputy, Chen Hung-chi (陳鴻基), will travel with him to Tokyo to take over their new offices. Chen announced on May 18 that Koh, a professor at Providence University in Taichung County, would be Taiwan's new representative to Japan.
Several Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) officials including Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) are to be summoned for questioning and then transferred to prosecutors for holding an illegal assembly in Taipei last night, the Taipei Police said today. Chu and two others hosted an illegal assembly and are to be requested to explain their actions, the Taipei City Police Department's Zhongzheng (中正) First Precinct said, referring to a protest held after Huang Lu Chin-ju (黃呂錦茹), KMT Taipei's chapter director, and several other KMT staffers were questioned for alleged signature forgery in recall petitions against Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators. Taipei prosecutors had filed
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
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday established a friendship group with their counterparts in Ukraine to promote parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. A ceremony in Taipei for the Taiwan-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Association, initiated by DPP Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷), was attended by lawmakers and officials, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) and European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Director Lutz Gullner. The increasingly dire situation in Ukraine is a global concern, and Taiwan cannot turn its back when the latter is in need of help, as the two countries share many common values and interests,
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