Two large quakes hit south Taiwan, sparing its central and northern parts
Two major earthquakes rocked Taiwan on the evening of Dec. 26, collapsing three buildings, killing two persons and injuring 42 in the south of the country. The quakes also damaged undersea cables, jamming Internet and telecom systems. Taiwan's Chunghwa Telecom Co., Ltd. said 50 to 60 percent of its telephone capacity was damaged, affecting connections to China, Japan and Southeast Asia.
Premier Su Tseng-chang inspected affected areas Dec. 27. The semi-official Central News Agency reported Dec. 26 that Su contacted President Chen Shui-bian after receiving information on the earthquake from relevant agencies, and ordered the Ministry of Interior to provide relief assistance and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to report on Taiwan's high speed rail, which was scheduled to start its official operation Jan. 1, 2007.
According to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau, the first tremor hit at 8:26 p.m. and measured 6.7 on the Richter scale, with its epicentre located 22 kilometers under the sea and 22.8 kilometers southwest of Hengchun Township in Pingtung County.
The second large tremor hit about eight minutes later. Measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale, its epicenter was 21 kilometers under ground and 11.6 kilometers northwest of Pingtung's Fangliao Township, the bureau said, adding that the two quakes were among the strongest in the area over the last century.
One of the reactors at the Third Nuclear Power Plant near Hengchun was shut down briefly because of a malfunction, apparently in connection with the earthquake, according to a CNA report.
Although the quakes were felt all over Taiwan, no damage or casualties were reported in the north, and there were no accounts of damage at the Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan's IT hub.
The Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. said that one of its trains was operating when the earthquake occurred. The train immediately activated its braking system.
The Democratic Pacific Union announced the establishment of the Pacific Congressional Caucus at Taipei's Grand Hotel Dec. 10. ROC Vice President Lu Hsiu-lien said at the launch ceremony that congressional members from 30 nations attended. The PCC would facilitate greater exchange among parliamentarians of Asia-Pacific countries and help devise reforms for their own countries, she said.
The PCC is an extension of the DPU, an organization formed in August last year in Taipei, with Lu as the founder. The stated goal of the DPU is to promote democracy, peace and prosperity throughout the region.
The caucus outlined seven projects in their working guideline: organizing training programs for legislative assistants, conducting research projects on democratic and congressional reforms, launching a PCC Web site, conducting election observation tours and exchange programs among caucus members, and introducing a special initiative to increase women's political participation.
The caucus stated its commitment to fostering multilateral security dialogues to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and stop international terrorism. The declaration also pledged to enhance economic integration in order to improve stability.
Meanwhile, an International Symposium on Congress and Democracy was held Dec. 9-10, in connection with the formation of PCC, for parliamentary members from member countries to exchange experiences and ideas.
In her keynote speech, Lu encouraged congress members from all Pacific countries to be the "voice and conscience" of their people. "Political wisdom and vision in the congress are needed to make the necessary reforms that can create democracy," she said.
The legislative process of the parliamentary and presidential systems, as well as the electoral system and campaign finance, were discussed in the two-day symposium. Many difficult questions were posed. Under what conditions could a president be impeached and how? Can it still be called democratic when people do not regularly elect a part of a nation's congress, such as in Canada? With political campaigns becoming increasingly expensive, does it mean that poor people would be deprived of the chance to hold public office? These were some of the questions hotly debated among congressmen during the panel discussions.
Roilo Golez, deputy minority leader of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, said in the discussion that the tendency in the Philippines was to change from a presidential system to a cabinet system to prevent abuse of power from its president. He noted that the cabinet system was not necessarily better if it meant only the redistribution of political interests among the same elite group.
Taiwan legislators You Ching and Chuang Suo-hang remarked that there was a similar trend in Taiwan for replacement of the current semi-parliamentary, semi-presidential system by a parliamentary system.
You suggested in the panel that Taiwan amend its Constitution to form a cabinet system, thus adopting a consensual democracy model. He explained the system would relieve Taiwan of "conflicts among ethnic groups and disputes between unification and independence." He pointed out that under the present system, tremendous mobilization in human and financial resources was required for a successful campaign and would eventually result in the polarization of political power and public opinion.
As to the possibility of the cabinet system dividing political influence among the same group of elites, You commented on the importance of transparency. "In the current environment, is it even possible not to be transparent?" You said, referring to the recent corruption allegations that had prompted prosecutors to investigate the handling of officials' discretionary funds.
You, who is chairman of the Legislative Yuan's judicial committee, said that the formation of the PCC was very significant in that both cabinet and presidential systems existed in the Asia-Pacific region. Most countries in this area had their own problems, he said, but added that countries could learn from more experienced governments, such as the United States, Canada and Japan.
Premier Su Tseng-chang left Taiwan Dec. 13 on a five-day visit to The Gambia to attend, on President Chen Shui-bian's behalf, the Dec. 15 inauguration of re-elected Gambian President Yahya Jammeh. He made a stopover in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on his outward journey, and in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, on his return.
It was Su's first successful overseas trip since taking up the premiership in January. In April, China abused its position as a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council to block Su's scheduled visit to attend the May 14th inauguration of Haiti's newly elected President Rene Garcia Preval. China threatened to force the withdrawal of U.N. peacekeeping forces from Haiti if Su attended the event.
Chen telephoned Jammeh Dec. 11 to congratulate him on his re-election and to inform him that he had appointed Su as his envoy to attend the inauguration. He also mentioned the first summit between Taiwan and its African allies, which is slated for early next year, and invited the Gambian president to attend the event in person, according to a news release posted on the Office of the President Web site.
In response, Jammeh expressed his welcome to Su and invited Chen to visit The Gambia, the Presidential Office added.
In Su's entourage traveling to Banjul, The Gambia's capital, were Deputy Foreign Minister Yang Tzu-pao, Minister of Health Hou Sheng-mau, Minister of the Council of Agriculture Su Jia-chyuan and Cabinet Spokesperson Cheng Wen-tsang.
After a 25-hour journey from Taipei, Su and the delegation arrived at Banjul International Airport Dec.14, where they received a warm welcome from Gambian Vice President Isatou Njie-Saidy, various officials and numerous citizens. In a report filed by Taiwan's semi-official Central News Agency, Su is quoted as saying he felt honored to receive a welcome with such great pomp and splendor on the way to his hotel.
Su later visited the Republic of China Embassy in Banjul where he donated US$35,000 for AIDS prevention work. Dr. Tamsir Mbowe, Gambian minister of health accepted the donation on behalf of his country.
Su attended Jammeh's inauguration for his third five-year term on the morning of Dec. 15. Some 30,000 people attended the investiture at which Jammeh, 41, was administered the oath of office by Supreme Court Chief Justice Abdul Karim. The presidents of Nigeria, Togo and Ethiopia, and many other dignitaries attended the ceremony at the Independence Stadium in Bakau, east of Banjul.
Following his inauguration, Jammeh received Su at his office and promised to help Taiwan make its voice heard in the international community. Although countries that are small in size are not powerful, they must unite together to secure their autonomy, Jammeh added.
He expressed hope that substantive relations and cooperation between The Gambia and Taiwan would increase and urged Taiwan's business community to invest in his country. In response, Su invited Jammeh to visit Taiwan next year to attend the first leaders' summit of Taiwan and its African allies.
The delegation left The Gambia at midnight Dec. 15 and arrived in Frankfurt on the morning of Dec. 16 before returning to Taipei.
In related news, the National Taipei University of Technology presented 30 cartons of books and five computers to The Gambia Dec.13 for distribution to local children. Gambian Ambassador to Taiwan Mawdo Juwara received the donations presented by NTUT President Lee Tsu-tian.
NTUT and The Gambia have run an academic cooperation program that includes classes at NTUT for Gambian students and government officials in the fields of oil exploration and IT. Furthermore, with support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, NTUT will sponsor an additional program starting next August offering four-year university scholarships to 25 Gambian citizens.
Residents of Taipei and Kaohsiung cities--Taiwan's two special municipalities--cast their ballots Dec. 9 to choose their mayors and city councilors. As the results started to emerge, it became clear that the opposition Kuomintang and ruling Democratic Progressive Party had retained their strongholds in northern and southern Taiwan respectively.
In Taipei, the nation's capital, Hau Lung-bin retained the mayorship for the KMT with 53.81 percent or 692,085 votes over his DPP opponent Frank Hsieh's 40.89 percent or 525,869 votes. James Soong--a one-time presidential contender who stood down temporarily as People First Party chairman to run as an independent--won just 4.14 percent of the vote or 53,281 votes, according to the Taipei City Election Committee. The margin of the KMT victory was down significantly from 2002, when incumbent mayor Ma Ying-jeou garnered more than 870,000 votes and beat DPP candidate Lee Ying-yuan by 28 percentage points.
In the Taipei City Council election, the KMT won 24 out of 52 seats--four more than in 2002--including one seat reserved for an aboriginal councilor. Of its "pan-blue" allies, the New Party won four seats and the PFP won two, down from eight in 2002. The DPP gained one seat, giving it 18, while its "pan-green" ally, the Taiwan Solidarity Union, garnered two seats, having won none at the last election. The final two seats went to independent candidates.
In southern Taiwan, DPP mayoral candidate Chen Chu defeated her KMT counterpart Huang Chun-ying by just 1,114 votes, with 379,417 ballots or 49.41 percent against his 378,303 or 49.27 percent, according to the Kaohsiung City Election Commission. Chen would be Taiwan's first elected female mayor of a special municipality, although Yeh Chu-lan currently holds the position of Kaohsiung's acting mayor.
The KMT refused to accept the result, saying it would file a lawsuit asking the Kaohsiung District Court to nullify Chen's election. Late Dec. 8 and early on election morning Dec. 9, Chen's campaign team held a press conference and accused Huang of vote buying. In response, Huang's spokesperson Apollo Chen said Dec. 10 that Chen had used a "dirty trick" to besmirch the KMT candidate.
The Central Election Committee will make its official declaration of the electoral results Dec. 15, and Huang's team is expected to file an "election result nullification" lawsuit afterwards. A candidate can file such a lawsuit within 15 days.
Meanwhile, judges in Kaohsiung approved Huang's Dec. 10 application for the city's ballot boxes to be impounded as evidence after Huang filed a lawsuit asking for the results of Dec. 9 to be invalidated. Huang's camp disputed the results on the grounds that 6,622 ballots for Huang had been deemed invalid.
Of the 44 Kaohsiung City Council seats, the KMT won 17 seats--including one reserved for an aboriginal councilor--five more than in 2002; the DPP won 15, up from 14; the PFP lost three seats leaving it with four; the TSU lost one of the two seats it previously held; and the number of independent councilors fell from nine to seven.
President Chen Shui-bian said he was satisfied with the peaceful process of the mayoral and city council elections and congratulated all candidate-elects, according to a news release posted on the Office of the President Web site. Chen urged all the candidates, whether elected or not, to work together to create a better living environment for residents of the two cities, the Presidential Office stated.
Taiwan's political spectrum could become polarized between the KMT and DPP following these elections, which might not leave much space for a third force, suggested Michael Hsiao Dec. 10. Hsiao, a research fellow at the Institute of Sociology, Academia Sinica, was participating in a forum titled "The 2006 Mayoral Elections in Taipei and Kaohsiung: Results and Implications" held in Taipei by the Taiwan Thinktank.
"Care without Borders: At Mzuzu Hospital," a documentary film produced by Taiwan's Public Television Service and sponsored by the Department of Health, premiered on PTS 10 p.m. Dec 26. Shot in Mzuzu, a remote town in northern Malawi, the film told the story of Taiwanese doctors, nurses and the rest of the Taiwan Medical Mission as they struggled in an impossible war on poverty, HIV/AIDS and neglect in southern Africa.
Malawi, a landlocked country with a population of 10 million, has an estimated 1 million AIDS patients, roughly equal to the United States, according to a press release by DOH.
Lo Shu-rei, a specialist from DOH's Bureau of International Cooperation, said that Taiwan built the Central Hospital for Malawi in the northern town of Mzuzu in 1998. In addition, TMM assisted in managing the hospital and coordinating the HIV/AIDS outpatient services program, called "Rainbow," started at the hospital in July 2004 to help Malawi's disadvantaged citizens.
"The reason why the outpatient services are named 'Rainbow' was that in the Bible, when people saw a rainbow, they would remember that God wouldn't forget them," Dr. Solomon Chen said. Chen was a pediatrician, gastroenterologist and former Resident Representative of DOH to Africa. He currently serves as director of the International Medical Cooperation & Development Center at Pingtung Christian Hospital.
"We hope through TMM's efforts, AIDS patients in Malawi will understand that they have not been forgotten," he explained. The program will be a step forward in that direction.
To expand the range of services, TMM broke ground on a new Rainbow HIV/AIDS Center in June 2006. Construction would be completed at the end of 2007, Lo added.
Malawi citizens do not have ID cards or health insurance cards like Taiwanese do. To tackle this problem, Chen and the TMM staff, in cooperation with the Pingtung hospital, developed the Fingerprint Identification System, technology designed to help patients in Malawi receive long-term care and take medicine on time.
Nations around the world marked the annual World AIDS Day Dec. 1. At a variety of events, governments and NGOs sought to remind citizens of the undiminished threat of the human immunodeficiency virus epidemic. The theme of this year's U.N.-sponsored event was "accountability."
2006 is a poignant year for Taiwan as it marks the 20th anniversary of the island's first identified case of local HIV infection. By 1990, with the number of cases increasing, the government promulgated the AIDS Prevention and Control Act in an effort to prevent the epidemic from spreading further. It also encouraged patients to come forward and offered free medical treatment to those in dire need.
To date there have been 12,065 confirmed HIVpositive cases in Taiwan, of which 2,686 patients developed AIDS. Of the former, around 90 percent are male and 10 percent female, 12 percent have died and 88 percent are still alive, and more than 95 percent are Taiwan nationals and less than 5 percent are foreigners.
Thirty-eight percent of infections were through injection of drugs, homosexual transmission accounted for 26 percent and heterosexual transmission for 24 percent. Transmission through blood products accounts for less than 1 percent of HIVpositive cases in Taiwan.
Government initiatives to push through legislation, offer free treatment and promote public awareness have been relatively successful in curbing the spread of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, compared with other countries such as various Southeast Asian nations and China. Nevertheless, the rate of infection has also increased in Taiwan.
The government, like society at large, appreciates the need to take new measures and expand its thinking on this issue. With this in mind, the Cabinet decided that the 8th Taipei International Conference on HIV/AIDS held in September would focus on harm reduction practices. Predicated on the idea that measures to address the root causes of drug use and to reduce the demand for and supply of illegal drugs all take time and have limited chances of success, harm reduction measures aim to improve the quality of life of individuals and broader communities impacted by drug use, and consequently to reduce the spread of HIV.
This is in line with the U.N. goal on World AIDS Day of "remembrance and hope."
Unfortunately, while Taiwan does everything in its power to accord with World Health Organization policies and agendas on HIV, these would be more effective were it not for China's repeated obstruction of Taiwan's meaningful participation in international bodies. Accountability, in other words, is more than just an individual responsibility.
Mindy Tang taught at a cram school for six years after graduating from college. Although she enjoyed her high salary, she found the stressful lifestyle increasingly difficult to endure. In 2001, at the age of 33, she decided to set up her own business organizing ecological tours, which, she felt, was more in keeping with her interests and personality, and would give her more satisfaction than the 9 a.m.-to-midnight teaching job.
Tang was typical of a growing number of Taiwanese women aged 15 or over, of whom 48.26 percent now have jobs or run their own businesses, according to a Nov. 30 report from the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics.
The 29th annual report on surveys carried out in May each year supplemented regular DGBAS investigations into human resource demographics. It included data on married women's employment situation, working hours, income and means of finding work; opportunities and expected salaries among unemployed people; and the potential supply for Taiwan's work force.
The May 2006 figure for women in employment was up slightly from last year's 47.91 percent, although far lower than the 67.36 percent for men. The number of married women with jobs rose to 48.38 percent, up from 41.82 percent in 1986, while the numbers of women in the work force who had children aged under six or were childless rose by 17.59 percentage points and 20.69 percentage points respectively over these two decades.
With regard to female entrepreneurs, a Sept. 15 report in the Chinese-language Commercial Times cited DGBAS statistics showing that the number of female employers had grown fourfold since 1968. It also quoted the National Youth Commission as saying women employers were following the trends of Taiwan's knowledge-based economy, with more and more seeking opportunities in the leisure sector that accorded with their personal interests. In this respect, Tang was again typical of female entrepreneurs aged under 35 for whom starting traditional businesses such as cram schools and beauty salons was no longer satisfactory.
Local media suggested that the rising female work force was due to Taiwan's sluggish economy. The DGBAS, however, claimed that this was more likely due to women's higher educational achievements, the continuing development of service industries, and the government's enforcement of related policies or regulations. Encoded in the Gender Equality in Employment Act promulgated on March 8, 2003, after 12 years of discussion, these regulations aimed to secure women's rights in the workplace while preventing sexual harassment and gender discrimination.
For the first time, the DGBAS report surveyed those job seekers who stopped looking for work. Totaling 75,000, they represented 1.36 percent of Taiwan's potential work force. The number of long-term unemployed, those who looked but failed to find work for more than one year, fell year-on-year by 28,000 to 55,000.
Of this group, 36.65 percent had received higher education. This was due in part to Taiwan's increasing number of college graduates, said the DGBAS. Moreover, it claimed, half of these jobless graduates could find jobs if they were not picky about starting salary levels or if they would accept jobs outside their chosen specialty.