■ DIPLOMACY
Help to Guatemala continues
Taiwan said yesterday it would continue to help Guatemala build a highway connecting the capital, Guatemala City, to El Rancho, a harbor by the Atlantic Ocean. Ambassador Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) confirmed with the Central News Agency that the first phase of the project — expanding the two-lane road to four lanes — had been completed after two years of construction and that Taipei had agreed to continue to fund the project. Ou also said Taiwan was willing and able to provide assistance in cultivating talent for Guatemala’s small and medium enterprises.
■SOCIETY
Aunty White dies at 89
Marjorie Bly, a nurse from the US who treated lepers on Penghu for 54 years, died on Tuesday of heart failure. She was 89. Bly’s heart failure was the result of pneumonia brought on by a bout of flu, said her doctor, Wu Fang-tsan (吳芳燦). Paying his last respects to Bly at the hospital, Penghu County Commissioner Wang Chien-fa (王乾發) described Bly as “Penghu’s angel” and said her death would bring sorrow to many, adding that the county government would issue a public statement recognizing her long-term devotion to the island. Wu Wen-chung (吳文忠), a local priest, said local residents would follow Bly’s instructions and decorate her funeral ceremony with her sunflowers. Wu said the funeral would be simple, with little talk and hymns. Bly herself requested this, Wu said, because “she did not pass away. She is just sleeping.” Bly, nicknamed “Aunty White,” by local residents, was assigned to Taiwan by her church in 1952. She arrived in Penghu two years after that. Last April, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) bestowed a state medal upon Bly in recognition of her contributions and sacrifices for the people of Penghu.
■ EVENTS
Hakka Tung festival opens
The Hakka Tung Blossom Festival opens today, with seven counties in the north and south presenting a variety of activities to celebrate the annual flower season through the end of next month. Council for Hakka Affairs Chairman Lee Yung-teh (李永得) will hold a news conference today to provide information as to where visitors can go to see the spectacular drifts of snow-white flowers, as well as the many other activities reflecting Hakka culture in Taipei, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Taichung, Changhua and Nantou counties. April and May are the months when tung flowers, also known as paulownia flowers, are in full bloom in central and northern Taiwan.
■ CRIME
Rebar defendant released
The final defendant in the Rebar Asia Pacific Group case still under detention, Wang Lin-i (王令一), was released yesterday on NT$50 million (US$1.6 million) bail. Wang’s lawyer, Lee Wen-chung (李文中), brought the money to the Taipei District Court yesterday morning and Wang was able to leave the Taipei Detention House in the afternoon. Lee said that one of Wang’s friends in the construction business had helped him with part of the money. The other three defendants in detention — Frank Wang (王事展), Wang Lin-tai (王令台) and Wang Lin-chiao (王令僑) — have already paid bail and were released from detention on Monday and Tuesday. The court has requested that the defendants report back to authorities every Wednesday. Frank Wang, Wang Lin-tai and Wang Lin-chiao were all present in court yesterday morning. They declined to comment to the media.
Civil society groups yesterday protested outside the Legislative Yuan, decrying Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) efforts to pass three major bills that they said would seriously harm Taiwan’s democracy, and called to oust KMT caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁). It was the second night of the three-day “Bluebird wintertime action” protests in Taipei, with organizers announcing that 8,000 people attended. Organized by Taiwan Citizen Front, the Economic Democracy Union (EDU) and a coalition of civil groups, about 6,000 people began a demonstration in front of KMT party headquarters in Taipei on Wednesday, organizers said. For the third day, the organizers asked people to assemble
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
POOR IMPLEMENTATION: Teachers welcomed the suspension, saying that the scheme disrupted school schedules, quality of learning and the milk market A policy to offer free milk to all school-age children nationwide is to be suspended next year due to multiple problems arising from implementation of the policy, the Executive Yuan announced yesterday. The policy was designed to increase the calcium intake of school-age children in Taiwan by drinking milk, as more than 80 percent drink less than 240ml per day. The recommended amount is 480ml. It was also implemented to help Taiwanese dairy farmers counter competition from fresh milk produced in New Zealand, which is to be imported to Taiwan tariff-free next year when the Agreement Between New Zealand and
Taiwanese professional baseball should update sports stadiums and boost engagement to enhance fans’ experience, Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview on Friday. The league has urged Farglory Group and the Taipei City Government to improve the Taipei Dome’s outdated equipment, including relatively rudimentary television and sound systems, and poor technology, he said. The Tokyo Dome has markedly better television and sound systems, despite being 30 years old, because its managers continually upgraded its equipment, Tsai said. In contrast, the Taipei Dome lacked even a room for referees
RSS