• Court overrules science park expansion appeal
• MAC denies Beijing's ECFA charges
• 50th H1N1 death reported
• President approves resignation of jailed advisor
• Taiwan reiterates goal of joining U-N organizations
• China's cultural chief visits Taiwan
• National Palace Museum to be expanded
• Philippines mulling FTA with Taiwan

 

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Subject: Court overrules science park expansion appeal
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Development of the Central Taiwan Science Park's Hou-li branch will remain
suspended, pending a new environmental impact assessment report.

The ruling - handed down yesterday by the Supreme Administrative Court - over
rules an appeal by several government agencies calling for a full resumption
of work on the project.

The court also revoked a previous ruling by the Taipei High Administrative
Court - calling for it to reinvestigate the case.

Yesterday's rulings come almost a month after work on the Miao-li
County-based park was suspended by by ruling that called into doubt the
findings of an initial environmental impact assessment report.

The Taipei High Administrative Court ruled that that report was flawed and
had not been carried out properly.

The project is the third phrase of the science park's expansion project.

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Subject: MAC denies Beijing's ECFA charges
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The Mainland Affairs Council yesterday denied allegations by China's Taiwan
Affairs Office that the Ma administration is failing to carry out legal
preparations for the implementation of the ECFA accord.

According to M-A-C Deputy Chairman - Liu De-xun - relevant government
agencies are working on coping measures and programs to pave the way for the
implementation of the pact - which was signed in late June.

The statement follows allegations by the head of China's Taiwan Affairs
Office - Wang Yi -- who earlier this week called for the
"speedy" implementation of ECFA and "speedy" establishment of a
cross-strait economic cooperation committee.

Speaking to reporters .. the M-A-C Deputy Chairman said it will take some
time for all ECFA issues to be sorted out and that a
an oversight committee is expected to discuss four ECFA sub-agreements in the
coming week.

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Subject: 50th H1N1 death reported
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The Centers for Disease Control yesterday confirmed the island's 50-th
H-1-N-1 related death.

According to the C-D-C ... a 50-year-old man died in Gaoxiong on August 31-st
- the day after he was confirmed H-1-N-1 positive.

The man was hospitalized on August 28-th and had chronic high pressure and
cirrhosis of the liver.

The C-D-C says of the 50 H-1-N-1 deaths, 49 were people who had not been
vaccinated against the virus.

There are still 5.8-million doses of the H-1-N-1 vaccine available in Taiwan
- 2.7-million of which will expire at the end of September.

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Subject: President approves resignation of jailed advisor
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President Ma Ying-jeou has approved the resignation of former advisor Fan
Chen-chong.

Fan was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison yesterday by the Xinchu
District Court on charges of corruption during his tenure as Xinchu
magistrate between 1989 and 1997.

He offered his resign as an advisor to the president on August 27-th.

Fan was convicted of offering illegal profits to businessmen by allowing them
to use a marketplace for other commercial use.

Fan is continuing to deny the charges and says he will appeal the conviction.

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Subject: Taiwan reiterates goal of joining U-N organizations
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The Ministry of Foriegn Affairs is reiterating the Ma administration's aim of
achieving "meaningful participation" in international organizations.

The statement comes two weeks ahead of the United Nations' annual General
Assembly.

MOFA officials say the government hopes to gain participate in the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the International Civil
Aviation Organization in the coming months.

International support for Taiwan's efforts has come from the European
Parliament, the Australian Parliament and the United States Senate.

Taipei is expected to ask its diplomatic allies to state its case in the
65-th session of the U-N General Assembly - which is scheduled to open on
September 14-th in New York.

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Subject: China's cultural chief visits Taiwan
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China's Minister of Culture - Cai Wu - arrived in Taipei yesterday for an
eight-day visit.

Cai - who is heading a 40-member delegation - is the highest-ranking Chinese
culture official to visit Taiwan in 12-years.

He was invited to Taiwan by the Taipei-based Shen Chuen-Qi Cultural and
Educational Foundation in his capacity as head of Beijing's China Friendship
Association.

Cai is likely to hold talks with Council For Cultural Affairs chief - Emile
Sheng - during his visit.

However .. government officials have denied reports that the meeting is
related to the possible signing of a cross-strait cultural agreement.

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Subject: National Palace Museum to be expanded
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Vice President - Vincent Siew - says the National Palace Museum will be
expanded in the coming years.

According to Siew ... the government plans to appropriate several plots of
land surrounding the museum that are currently owned by the military to build
new exhibition halls.

Siew says the move is due to the increasing number of tourists visiting the
museum.

The cost of the planned expansion project has not been released.

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Subject: Philippines mulling FTA with Taiwan
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The Philippines' Deputy Trade Secretary says Manila is currently mulling
signing a free trade agreement with Taipei.

According to Adrian Cristobal ... Manila believes the recent signing of the
ECFA accord means the Philippines could benefit from an F-T-A with Taiwan

Although he gave no time-frame for the possible signing of an F-T-A between
Manila and Taipei, Cristobal said he hopes formal F-T-A negotiations can
begin within a year.

Manila is also considering F-T-As with the United States, the European Union,
Vietnam, India and China.