• SEF Says Weapon Sales Won't Affect Negotiations
• DPP Says Strong Public Support for Legislative Task Force on Cross-strait
• Residents Asked to Cut Water Usage to 250 Liters Daily
• Protests Against Arms Sale Outside AIT
• Military Denies Labor Report
• Jason Hu about his candidacy
• Gov't To Try E-mailing Tax Documents
• Man attempts suicide by MRT
• Chen Shui-bian Says Will Respect Son's Decision on Entering Politics
• Car accident in Nan-tou left 3 dead

 

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Subject: SEF Says Weapon Sales Won't Affect Negotiations
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Taiwan's top negotiator today dismissed concerns that Washington's 6.4
billion U.S. dollar arms sale to the island will impact improving cross
strait ties.

Despite Beijing having threatened serious retaliation against the U.S. for
the sale ... Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman P.K. Jiang said he did not
expect China to punish Taiwan over the arms package, including Patriot
missiles and Black Hawk helicopters.

China has blasted the United States over the planned arms package for Taiwan,
saying it would place sanctions on U.S. firms that sell weapons to the
island.

At a news conference this morning ... Jiang said the weapon sales is not a
new topic, so he didn't see any won't be any impact on either present or
future cross-Strait dialogue.

Jiang reiterated that negotiations on the Economic Cooperation Framework
Agreement ... or ECFA ... could produce an agreement early sometime this
year.

The government here has repeatedly stressed the importance of the agreement
for Taiwan to remain competitive in the Asian market place.

(jm)

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Subject: DPP Says Strong Public Support for Legislative Task Force on Cross-strait
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Affairs

The opposition DPP reiterated its call today for establishing a legislative
task force to oversee cross Strait affairs, saying there's strong public
support for such a move.

DPP spokesman Cai Qi-chang said a survey shows 74.1 percent of the public
favor such a task force.

Cai called for President Ma Ying-jeou to explain the administration's stance
on the legislative cross-strait task force issue when he briefs the public
on the progress of the ECFA talks tomorrow.

Cai quoted the results of a poll conducted by the DPP earlier this month as
showing that 68.2 percent of respondents said at pressent, the legislature
doesn't have any way to effectively supervise the administration's
cross-strait policies, including plans for the signing of an Economic
Cooperation Framework Agreement.

The DPP boycotted a government briefing on ECFA last week in protest of the
administration's unwillingness to set up a legislative task force on cross
strait affairs.

(jm)

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Subject: Residents Asked to Cut Water Usage to 250 Liters Daily
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The government has kicked off a campaign to help cut water usage among
residents by some nine percent daily ... in the face of worsening drought
conditions.

Economics Minister Shi Yan-xiang today said the campaign hopes people can cut
their current daily water usage from 274 liters to 250 liters.

Shi outlined the campaign in a report at the Presidential Office's monthly
gathering this morning.

Shi noted that with many island reservoirs at critically low levels ... and a
recent weather forecast predicting lower-than-normal precipitation levels for
the first three months of this year ... water conservation measures are a
priority.

Shi suggested the government acknowledges the need for incentives to get
people to save water ... and said measures are being considered including
preferential water rates and subsidies for people who purchase water-saving
products.

President Ma Ying-jeou has been promoting water conservation since he
assumed office in May 2008.

(jm)

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Subject: Protests Against Arms Sale Outside AIT
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A number of protesters gathered outside the American Institute in Taiwan's
Taipei office today, voicing opposition to Washington's decision to sell more
weapons to Taiwan.

Two weeks ago, the Obama administration notified the US Congress of its plan
to sell PAC-3 missiles and other arms to Taipei.

The protesters, representing various civic groups, chanted slogans urging
that the money earmarked for the arms sale be instead spent on propping up
the National Health Insurance program or otherwise using it to directly
benefit the people.

They also said new weapons for Taiwan were both useless and
counterproductive, saying that as long as Taiwan holds to the '92 consensus,
it will remain peaceful across the Taiwan Strait.

The protesters said that Taiwan does not need the United States' protection.

(EG)

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Subject: Military Denies Labor Report
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The Ministry of National Defense is denying a newspaper report that it is
using illegal hiring practices to work on its projects.

According to the Apple Daily, the military is using laborers on short-term
contracts for long-term projects, and that these workers are not covered by
relevant labor laws as they should be.

The military says that this report is faulty, and all its hiring practices
are above board.

It says it has hired 23 thousand outside personnel, but their contracts are
all lawful, and they're covered under the labor insurance and national health
insurance programs, among others.

A military official added that their pay conforms to standards set by the
executive yuan, and that these contract employees are eligible for year end
bonuses and other work-related perks, just like any private-sector employee.

(EG)

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Subject: Jason Hu about his candidacy
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Despite poll after poll showing his high popularity, Tai-zhong city Mayor
Jason Hu remains tight-lipped about whether he's going to run for the greater
Taizhong mayor's position.

According to the latest poll by local China Times newspaper, Hu will win
hands down if he's running against opposition DPP's chairwoman Cai Ying-wen,
or former premier Frank Xie, or Lin Jia-long, who has already started his
campaign.

Hu was also the front runner in Tai-nan and Gaoxiong in previous polls.

He expresses his gratitude for people's support, but says he'll have to wait
for his party's coordination in determining the candidate.

Local media have reported that Interior Minister Liao Liao-yi, a native
Taizhong son, is also interested in running in at the year-end election, with
President Ma Ying-jeou saying that both will make good candidates.

Hu promises that he'll announce his decision early next month at the latest.

(JL)

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Subject: Gov't To Try E-mailing Tax Documents
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An official with the Research, Development, and Evaluation Committee today
announced that the government will be trying something new with tax documents
this year.

Department of Information Management Deputy Chief Jian Hong-wei says the
pilot project will be available to certain taxpayers who successfully filed
over the Internet over the last two years.

The experimental program will send those chosen electronic copies of their
withholding statements, which they can use to calculate their returns.

This will be in addition to the normal paper statements they would receive.

Jian said if the program is successful, the government is thinking of only
sending out electronic statements by the year 2016, doing away with physical
copies entirely, as well as having everyone file their taxes online.

(EG)

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Subject: Man attempts suicide by MRT
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Taipei MRT Blue Line, between Ban-qiao and Nan-gang, was put on hold this
afternoon for a brief period of time after a man jumped onto the train track
near Shan-dao Temple station.

Taipei's Fire Department says the man suffered a bone fracture in his left
hand and bruises on his head as the train driver applied brakes when seeing
him.

Local cable TV news showed the man, who's fully conscious, being carried away
on a stretcher.

MRT officials say the Blue line has resumed normal schedules after running at
intervals of 25 minutes for about an hour.

The incident followed a morning glitch on the Wen-hu Line where nearly two
thousand passengers were affected during morning rush hours.

The glitch delayed 19 trains by about 20 minutes at the most.

(JL)

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Subject: Chen Shui-bian Says Will Respect Son's Decision on Entering Politics
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Former President Chen Shui-bian says he'll respect and support his son's
decision on whether or not to enter local politics.

A spokesman for the former head of state say Chen and his wife both believe
that Chen Zhi-zhong is an adult who should make his own decisions ... and
they'll support whatever he decides.

The younger Chen appeared on stage last night at a rally for the Gaoxiong
branch of a new group set up to campaign for the release of his father.

The former president remains behind bars pending his appeal of a life
sentence for corruption.

Supporters urged Chen Zhi-zhong to run for a seat in the Gaoxiong City
Council.

The younger Chen bowed repeatedly to thank the supporters ... and when asked
later by media if he would run or not ... Chen said he's currently evaluating
the possibility.

(jm)

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Subject: Car accident in Nan-tou left 3 dead
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A car accident on the national expressway number 6 in Nan-tou has left three
dead and five injured.

Police say due to a flat tire, a gravel truck rushed across the central
divide and slammed into a van and a car coming from the opposite direction.

Police say the six people on the van, which got badly wrecked, were either
killed or injured.

Local cable TV news shows the truck's driver, who suffered some bruises, in
the hospital receiving treatment.

He apologized for the accident, saying that he's very sorry for what has
happened.

Police say they may charge the driver with negligence of duties.

The traffic on the number 6 expressway has been fully restored since the
accident.

(JL)