■ Politics
Chiang sues Chen over 228
A grandson of the late dictator Chiang Kai-shek (將介石) yesterday sued President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) for libel after Chen called Chiang the main culprit in the 1947 massacre of thousands of Taiwanese. Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) filed the libel suit with the Taipei District Court. He demanded compensation of US$1 and a newspaper apology from Chen. "President Chen's arbitrary conclusion concerning the 228 Incident can only deepen ethnic division. I ask him to hold a public debate with me," Chiang told reporters. "If the debate shows that Chiang Kai-shek was not the main culprit, Chen must apologize to the whole nation and clear Chiang Kai-shek's name," Chiang said. Chen did not immediately respond to Chiang's libel suit.
■ Agriculture
Biofuel project expanded
The government has decided to increase the amount of land allocated for biofuel crops -- soybean, rape, sunflower and sweet potato -- from 1,721 hectares last year to 4,550 hectares this year, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday. Council officials said that 3,280 hectares would be used for soybean cultivation, 1,240 hectares for planting sunflowers and 30 hectares for raising sweet potatoes on a trial basis. Soybeans, rape seed and sunflowers can be turned into ethanol used in biodiesel, while sweet potatoes will be used to supply the ethanol to be blended with gasoline during manufacturing trials. The government started its "biofuel development project" two years ago to reduce reliance on imported fuels. A recent report from the Ministry of Economic Affairs said that 98.22 percent of energy supplies used last year was imported. Officials said that as some 220,000 hectares of farmland is left fallow every year, the COA had decided to utilize this land to produce biofuel-related raw materials, for which demand is increasing.
■ Environment
Save tree frog project starts
The Taipei City Government and Hewlett-Packard (HP) Taiwan are inviting the public to donate used ink or printer cartridges to raise funds that will be used in reviving the city's shrinking wetlands and secure the survival rate of the Taipei tree frog. HP will donate NT$10 to NT$50 to the Chi Sing Eco-Conservation Foundation, a civic group dedicated to environmental protection, for every used ink or printer cartridge sent to companies such as Tsann Kuan Group (燦坤), Yungchin Real Estate Agency (永慶房屋) and Arcoa Corp (全虹通信) this and next month. Funds raised will be used to grow plants in mountainous areas around the city to revive the habitat of Taipei tree frogs, said Chou Ching-an (周慶安), a division chief at Taipei City's Department of Economic Development. Chou said that Taipei tree frogs could still be found in Four Beast Mountain (四獸山) and Yangmingshan National Park.
■ Diplomacy
African summit to be held
The summit between the presidents of Taiwan and its African allies will not be held in Africa as originally planned but in Taiwan, Foreign Minister James Huang (黃志芳) said on Monday. The Taiwan-African Allies Summit was meant to take place at the end of last year, but it was postponed. Huang said that the summit could be held in Taiwan in the near future since facilities in Taiwan are more suitable for organizing such an event. The government would make a final decision on the summit after discussing the details of the summit with its African allies, he said.
■ Travel
New rules bring long lines
Long lines were reported at the international airports in Taipei and Kaohsiung yesterday as new security rules for carry-on baggage took effect. The new rules bar passengers from carrying containers holding more than 100ml of liquid, gel or spray in their carry-on bags on international flights, and the containers under that limit must must be placed in a see-through plastic bag and checked by security officials before boarding. Aviation police were providing the regulation 24cm by 17cm plastic bags to passengers yesterday, one per person. At Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the police quickly ran through their supply of 20,000 bags. The situation at the airport was orderly, although some passengers complained about the long wait, saying that extra staff should have been assigned to help implement the new measures. Before entering controlled areas, passengers had to dump any proscribed containers and so many were seen rushing to gulp down the hot or cold beverages they had just purchased.
■ Transport
Taipei HSR station opens
The Taiwan High Speed Rail will finally commence full operation with the opening of the Taipei station today, Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC, 台灣高鐵) announced yesterday. Operation on the section between Taipei and Banciao had been delayed because of electrical and other problems. The THSRC said it expected tens of thousands of passengers to throng the Taipei station today and tomorrow, and advised passengers to double check the train schedule. While there have been ticketing problems, the THSRC said it would allow passengers to book tickets via telephone.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
A crowd of over 200 people gathered outside the Taipei District Court as two sisters indicted for abusing a 1-year-old boy to death attended a preliminary hearing in the case yesterday afternoon. The crowd held up signs and chanted slogans calling for aggravated penalties in child abuse cases and asking for no bail and “capital punishment.” They also held white flowers in memory of the boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), who was allegedly tortured to death by the sisters in December 2023. The boy died four months after being placed in full-time foster care with the
The Shanlan Express (山嵐號), or “Mountain Mist Express,” is scheduled to launch on April 19 as part of the centennial celebration of the inauguration of the Taitung Line. The tourism express train was renovated from the Taiwan Railway Corp’s EMU500 commuter trains. It has four carriages and a seating capacity of 60 passengers. Lion Travel is arranging railway tours for the express service. Several news outlets were invited to experience the pilot tour on the new express train service, which is to operate between Hualien Railway Station and Chihshang (池上) Railway Station in Taitung County. It would also be the first tourism service
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
RSS