■JUSTICE
Chen questioned on projects
Former president Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was questioned at the Taipei Detention Center yesterday by the Investigation Bureau on matters regarding classified diplomatic projects. Lee Ta-chu (李大竹), deputy director of the center where Chen is being detained, said that investigators questioned Chen from about 10am to 1:40pm. Special Investigation Panel prosecutors have investigated corruption allegations related to classified diplomatic projects during Chen’s presidency. However, Chen’s lawyer, Shih Yi-ling (石宜琳), told reporters: “According to the Code of Criminal Procedure, because Chen has already been indicted, investigators cannot reopen the case for investigation.” Chen was accompanied by Shih and another lawyer, Cheng Wen-lung (鄭文龍), during the questioning. Lee declined to comment on details regarding the questioning.
■TRANSPORTATION
Railway to go electric
The railway between Hualien and Taitung counties will be fully electrified by 2013 as part of government efforts to upgrade rail services in eastern Taiwan, Minister of Transportation and Communications Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) said during an inspection tour of Taitung yesterday. Mao said the railway electrification project would begin later this year. Huang Chung-chieh (黃中杰), chief of the eastern Taiwan division of the Railway Reconstruction Bureau, said that after the 155km railway is electrified, the railway’s speed would increase from 110kph to 130kph, shortening travel time.
■TRANSPORTATION
Freeway links Wufong, Puli
National Freeway No. 6 linking Wufong in Taichung County to Puli in Nantou County was officially opened on Saturday. The 37.6km freeway incorporates high-tech and eco-friendly materials and techniques and will help boost Nantou’s tourism and agriculture, officials said. Nantou is rich in agricultural and tourism resources. One of its major products is Oolong tea and its tourist attractions include Sun Moon Lake and Shitou Forest Recreational Area, two of the country’s most popular scenic areas. The freeway is the first in Taiwan to prioritize the concept of sustainable growth by trying to minimize the impact on the environment along its route. The construction of National Freeway No. 6 started in 2004 and cost NT$37.6 billion (US$1.11 billion).
■ECONOMY
Cabinet proposes cap
The Cabinet last night said that the ceiling on interest rates for credit card and cash cards should be capped at 15.5 percent, based on the maximum 12 percent interest rate for non-collateralized loans set by the central bank plus a floating annual rate currently set at 3.5 percent. The rate cap is higher than the 12.5 percent cap suggested last week by lawmakers. The legislature’s Judicial Committee last Thursday preliminarily approved an amendment to the Civil Code (民法) that would cut the limit on all contracted interest rates from 20 percent to 9 percent above the central bank’s rate for three-month loans without collateral. In response to strong opposition voiced by foreign and domestic banks on the legislature’s move, Vice Premier Paul Chiu (邱正雄) called a meeting of economic officials last night. Financial Supervisory Commission Chairman Sean Chen (陳冲) suggested lawmakers stipulate a cap of the interest rate based on Article 41 of the Banking Act (銀行法) and not the Civil Code so as not to affect other kinds of loans in the private lending market.
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Friday condemned Chinese and Russian authorities for escalating regional tensions, citing Chinese warplanes crossing the Taiwan Strait’s median line and joint China-Russia military activities breaching South Korea’s air defense identification zone (KADIZ) over the past two days. A total of 30 Chinese warplanes crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Thursday and Friday, entering Taiwan’s northern and southwestern airspace in coordination with 15 naval vessels and three high-altitude balloons, the MAC said in a statement. The Chinese military also carried out another “joint combat readiness patrol” targeting Taiwan on Thursday evening, the MAC said. On
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday confirmed that Chinese students visiting Taiwan at the invitation of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation were almost all affiliated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). During yesterday’s meeting convened by the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) asked whether the visit was a way to spread China’s so-called “united front” rhetoric, to which MAC Deputy Ministry Shen You-chung (沈有忠) responded with the CCP comment. The MAC noticed that the Chinese individuals visiting Taiwan, including those in sports, education, or religion, have had increasingly impressive backgrounds, demonstrating that the
MILITARY EXERCISES: China is expected to conduct more drills in the region after President William Lai’s office announced he would stopover in Hawaii and Guam China is likely to launch military drills in the coming days near Taiwan, using President William Lai’s (賴清德) upcoming trip to the Pacific and scheduled US transit as a pretext, regional security officials said. Lai is to begin a visit to Taipei’s three diplomatic allies in the Pacific on Saturday, and sources told Reuters he was planning stops in Hawaii and the US territory of Guam in a sensitive trip shortly after the US presidential election. Lai’s office has yet to confirm details of what are officially “stop-overs” in the US, but is expected to do so shortly before he departs, sources
Tasa Meng Corp (采盟), which runs Taiwan Duty Free, could be fined up to NT$1 million (US$30,737) after the owner and employees took center stage in a photograph with government officials and the returning Premier12 baseball champions at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Monday evening. When Taiwan’s national baseball team arrived home fresh from their World Baseball Softball Confederation Premier12 championship victory in Tokyo, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) was at the airport with Chinese Professional Baseball League commissioner Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) to welcome back the team. However, after Hsiao and Tsai took a photograph with the team, Tasa Meng chairwoman Ku
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