TRAVEL
Warning issued for Trinidad
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a warning yesterday advising people to avoid traveling to Trinidad and Tobago, where tensions were rising after the government of the Caribbean nation declared a curfew in the wake of a surge in violent crime. A 15-day period of emergency rule was imposed on Aug. 21 in a bid to halt the surge in violent crime linked to the drug trade, the ministry said, adding the emergency rule was mainly to allow authorities to conduct search and seizure operations and make arrests. The ministry issued an “orange” warning, which is the second-highest on its four-color tourism advisory system. Orange means to avoid going to the destination and to be on high alert if there.
DIPLOMACY
Documentaries posted
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York has launched a Web site that provides 22 documentaries about Taiwan to help people better understand the country. The Web site, created by the office in cooperation with video Web site DramaFever, features documentaries on topics ranging from Taiwanese delicacies, culture, music, customs and festivals to the business scene, healthcare and learning Chinese. The documentaries, produced by the Government Information Office, aim to provide in-depth knowledge of Taiwan through the Internet and draw more visitors to the country for pleasure, business or to study. Each documentary is about 30 minutes long and can be viewed on DramaFever’s Web site at www.dramafever.com/taiwan. They include: Food from the Heavens — Taiwan’s Rice Culture, The Green Green Grass — the Story of Taiwan’s Fight Against SARS; Visions of Taiwan’s Mountains; Embrace Life — the Story of Taiwan Medicine and Tradition Meets Modernity — Energy for Taiwan Music.
CULTURE
‘Crosstalk’ icon honored
Renowned actor Wu Jau--nan (吳兆南) cried on Tuesday upon hearing that he was selected as one of the nation’s “Significant Traditional Arts Preservers” by the Council of Cultural Affairs. The honor is presented to those considered “human national treasures” for their dedication to the preservation of traditional arts. Wu was honored for his contributions and devotion to “crosstalk” (相聲) for 60 years. Crosstalk is a traditional Chinese comedic performance that usually takes the form of a dialogue between performers. Wu was overjoyed after hearing that he received the honor but also saddened to tears that his wife, who died two years ago, could not share his happiness. He said he would try to stay healthy and take every opportunity to be “used” to promote the art form.
CRIME
Customs brokers questioned
Prosecutors yesterday questioned five customs brokers who are suspected of bribing officials to help importers smuggle goods, after raids on their offices and homes. The Taipei District Public Prosecutors’ Office began its probe into the case last year after receiving tip-offs that customs officials were taking bribes from brokers to cover up the smuggling of banned goods, or to allow importers to pay lower tariffs by undervaluing their imports. Investigators have detained 10 officials from the Directorate General of Customs and the Keelung Customs Office they believe were involved in the scandal. The prosecutors launched the first round of raids and questioning in July, and detained several importers and customs officials, including Deputy Director-General of Customs Lu Tsai-yih (呂財益).
Honor guards are to stop performing changing of the guard ceremonies around a statue of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) to avoid “worshiping authoritarianism,” the Ministry of Culture said yesterday. The fate of the bronze statue has long been the subject of fierce and polarizing debate in Taiwan, which has transformed from an autocracy under Chiang into one of Asia’s most vibrant democracies. The changing of the guard each hour at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall in Taipei is a major tourist attraction, but starting from 9am on Monday, the ceremony is to be moved outdoors to Democracy Boulevard, outside the eponymous blue-and-white memorial
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) supports peaceful unification with China, and President William Lai (賴清德) is “a bit naive” for being a “practical worker for Taiwanese independence,” former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said in an interview published yesterday. Asked about whether the KMT is on the same page as the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) on the issue of Taiwanese independence or unification with China, Ma told the Malaysian Chinese-language newspaper Sin Chew Daily that they are not. While the KMT supports peaceful unification and is against unification by force, the DPP opposes unification as such and
FATAL ILLNESS: Untreated symptoms can rapidly worsen to complications such as high fever, seizures and loss of consciousness, and can be life-threatening, a doctor said Hospitals have been reporting dozens of people with heat-related illnesses every day over the past week, given continuous high daytime temperatures, so recognizing the early signs of heatstroke is crucial in preventing serious complications, a Taipei City Hospital emergency physician said. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued a heat alert for 19 cities and counties across Taiwan, with temperatures in New Taipei City, Miaoli County and Pingtung County likely to exceed 38°C, and temperatures in 12 cities and counties likely to exceed 36°C for three days straight. More than a dozen people were taken to hospitals for heat-related illnesses every day from
The annual Taipei Summer Festival, which starts today, is to tone down its fireworks displays, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said on Monday. Fireworks displays are to be held at the riverside site in Datong District’s (大同) Dadaocheng (大稻埕) area on four days at this year’s festival, with the first today, and then on Wednesday next week, July 31 and Aug. 10, the department said. There were eight displays last year, with the reduction aimed at minimizing inconvenience to local residents, it said. The first three shows, which are all on Wednesdays, are to last for five minutes, while the final