U.K. VISA APPLICATIONS IN TAIWAN TO REQUIRE BIOMETRIC DATA

Taipei, June 7 (CNA) The collection of biometric data -- finger scans and digital photographs -- will be required for all U.K. visa applicants in Taiwan from July 26, the British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) in Taipei announced in a press conference Thursday.

The introduction of the new visa application process is to help combat visa fraud, the abuse of the U.K.'s immigration and asylum system and a part of anti-terrorism measures, BTCO Director Michael Reilly said.

The new process means two changes in the way BTCO deals with visa applications. All applicants will have to lodge their applications at new visa application centers in Taipei and Kaohsiung and applications will not be accepted at the BTCO in Taipei after July 20, said Reilly.

Second, all visa applicants, regardless of nationality, will need to apply in person to have their fingerscans and digital photographs taken. The whole procedure should take no more than five minutes, he said.

"Biometric visa data provides a higher standard for security and will in time make entry clearance into the U.K. simpler and easier. We have introduced the new process in 64 countries and are confident it will work smoothly here in Taiwan, " Reilly said.

Applicants will be able to track their application status online and will have shorter waiting times and more payment options, he said.

Current valid U.K. visa holders will not be asked to provide biometric data when they enter the U.K., Reilly added.

Taiwan and the Philippines are among the first Asian countries to implement the new application process, he said, adding that by the end of the year, the process will be rolled out to other Asian countries such as Japan, China and South Korea.

All member states of the European Union are expected to implement biometric visas in the spring of 2008, he noted.

The U.K. issued about 36,000 visas to Taiwanese visitors in 2006, including 9,653 Taiwanese student visas, Reilly said. The U.K. accounts for around 30 percent of the Taiwanese overseas study market.

PARAGUAY COACHES TO HELP TAIWANESE SOCCER WITH TRAINING PROGRAM

Taipei, June 6 (CNA) Four Paraguayan soccer coaches started their 10-day training program schedule Wednesday in the eastern county of Taitung in hopes of developing more professional grassroots coaches to establish asolid foundation for Taiwanese soccer.

These coaches will provide their expertise in conditioning, techniques, tactics and psychology in the three-day program, which will be held in Taitung, Pingtung and Taichung from June 6 - 16.

The coaching clinic is the result of collaboration between the Embassy of the Republic of Paraguay, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and National College of Physical Education and Sports (NCPES).

Paraguay is proud of its long soccer history and achievement, the Paraguayan Embassy said, and believes the program will help the development of Taiwanese soccer thanks to the efforts of coaches Gustavo Alcibiades Blaires Ucedo, Ramon Duarte, Julio Vera Torres and Guido Armoa.

Taiwan currently ranks 167th in the FIFA (Federation of International Football Association) global ranking while Paraguay ranks 35th. The Central American country boasts seven World Cup appearances and has advanced to the final sixteen on three occasions.

According to a MOE statistics, there are more than 600 soccer teams of all levels in Taiwan, with more than 500 of them being primary school teams.

JAPANESE OLYMPIC FIGURE SKATING GOLD MEDALLIST TO PERFORM IN TAIWAN

Taipei, June 6 (CNA) Japanese figure skater Shizuka Arakawa, the 2006 Turin Winter Olympics gold medallist in the Women's Singles event, and the 2004 World Champion, will perform in Taiwan for the first time in August, organizers announced in a press conference Wednesday.

Arakawa and other well-known Japanese figure skaters, including Takeshi Honda and Junko Yaginuma, will skate in six shows of the Prince Ice World 2007 Tour in Taipei, to be held Aug. 3 - 5 at the Taipei Arena.

Arakawa, 26, is the first female skater born in Asia to win the Olympic gold medal in figure skating, and the second oldest woman to win the Olympic figure skating gold. She announced her retirement from amateur figure skating and turned professional in May 2006, joining the Prince Ice World Team.

Speaking to a large group of reporters, Arakawa said she would like to promote the beauty of figure skating to the people of Taiwan through this tour. She also encouraged young Taiwanese skaters to "endure the pain and handwork in daily practices with a positive attitude."

"The basic approach to sports is to enjoy the happy side of it and forget the pain and sorrow, " she said.

Arakawa, one of the tallest female figure skaters at 5 feet 6 inches, is known for her spins and jumping ability, especially her triple-triple combination.

By winning the gold medal in Turin, the Prince Ice World Team said, Arakawa helped once again make ice skating one of the most popular sports in Japan.

CITIZEN PARTICIPATION ENCOURAGED IN NEW MILLENNIUM LIVING WORKSHOP

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) Citizen participation has been long overlooked but will be an important factor in our living in the new millennium as well as an integral part of urban design and community infrastructure establishment, a German architect said Monday in an international workshop.

Three groups of workshop participants presented their ideas and plans on the themes of rivers, garden city and community public spaces in the final presentation of a five-day workshop titled "Living and Housing in the 3rd Millennium: Ideas and Strategies for Better Living in Taipei" that was guided by German architect Klaus Luig.

"All human beings are responsible for our future with the objective of enhancing quality of life. While nature and sustainable growth know no borders, it's essential to exchange ideas, " Luig said, adding that modern day urban development often ignores the citizens.

The workshop, organized by the German Cultural Center in Taipei, brought together participants from different generations, nationalities and professional backgrounds to work on ideas for Taipei's future during five days of discussions and brainstorming.

"Taiwanese architecture and urban design are dominated by elitism and ignore civic participation, " said Janice Chen, who was in a group that developed a plan to better make use of the riverside park on the Hsintien river.

"It's time to let the real users -- the citizens -- participate in the development, management and design of their communities and environments, " she added.

The other groups worked out plans to redevelop New Garden City, an old community in suburban Taipei, and the sustainable utilization and management of community public spaces in Taipei.

"Some of the ideas these participants came up with are actually workable and will be a very good source and reference for the government, while some of them are pretty idealistic, " Luig commented after the presentation.

"Don't forget, however, the building of a wall starts with the first brick. This is a good start, " he said.

COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2007 AIMS TO BE WORLD'S TOP ICT PROCUREMENT PLATFORM

Taipei, June 4 (CNA) Computex Taipei 2007, the largest computer trade show in Asia and the second-largest in the world, will open Tuesday for a five-day run with more than more than 1,300 domestic and international exhibitors showing off their latest products, organizers said Monday in a press conference.

The Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) , one of two main organizers, estimated that over 130,000 visitors and buyers will attend the annual exhibition, whose 2,926 booths will occupy four Taipei World Trade Center halls and will run from June 5 - 9.

The exhibition is aimed at providing buyers with their ideal source for the best products. It is ranked alongside CeBIT Germany as the world's top two information and communication technology (ICT) events.

The primarily professional business-to-business (B2B) exhibition is targeting on-site orders and sales that organizers hope will exceed US$14.5 billion, said TAITRA Executive Vice President Walter Yeh, adding that the show will highlight Taiwan's position as "the world's leading ICT procurement platform."

"It was not easy to achieve the 2 percent growth in the number of exhibitors for this year's event, " said Li Chang, Deputy Secretary-General of the Taipei Computer Association (TCA), who also described the show as "the Golden Week" for Taiwan's information technology (IT) industry.

The year opened a new era for global 4C (computers, communications, consumer electronics and digital content) products in the IT industry, as all four major categories have been upgrading, according to a COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2007 press release.

The show is reserved exclusively for international buyers, Yeh said, adding that it will only be open to the general public on the last day.

VOLUNTEERS TO HELP NEW IMMIGRANTS ADJUST TO LIFE IN TAIWAN

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) More than 80 volunteers will start paying home visits in July to new immigrant families in Taipei City and Taipei County in a program that seeks to help new arrivals adjust to Taiwan's environment and culture, organizers said Saturday.

The volunteers, who are mostly retired workers, will try to collect information and learn about the problems that foreign spouses face and tell stories to children in their upcoming home visits under the program organized by the Eden Social Welfare Foundation, said Huang Juo-sung, executive director of the foundation.

Four foreign spouses -- three from Vietnam and one from Indonesia -- and two men who are married to Vietnamese women are among the most notable volunteers in the program.

Huynh Trang Phuong Thuy, who came to Taiwan five years ago when she was just 20, said she decided to join the program because she understands how difficult it is adjusting to a new environment. As happy and comfortable as she is now, Huynh said she felt the urge to reach out a helping hand to her "Vietnamese sisters."

Lin Jian-chung, who is married to a Vietnamese women, also joined the program, determined to help thousands of new immigrant families like his own.

Meanwhile, Yen Wei-te, a graduate student at National Taiwan University, said he joined the program "to involve myself more in social activities, rather than just focusing on studying."

Volunteers like Huynh Trang, Lin and Yen will be assigned to different regions, such as Sanchong and Sindian, and provide counseling, story-telling and Chinese-language learning book distributing services. Having received just three days of training and being fully aware of the possibility of being turned away at the door on their visits to the homes of new immigrants, the volunteers said they are still upbeat about the task they will embark upon Saturday.

"This is only the beginning of a massive and important project that tries to respond to a national issue, " said Huang.

According to Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) statistics, an estimated average of 12,000 Vietnamese women arrive in Taiwan every year in mixed marriages, Huang said, adding that currently, one out of every four babies born in Taiwan is born into a new immigrant family.

"The new immigrant issue has been ranked in the top three of the ten most important social issues of the future by analysts and observers, which means the government and civil groups have to look at and deal with the issue seriously as soon as possible, " he noted.

The program is mainly being sponsored by Cathay Life Charity Foundation.

'CAR-FREE' TOUR LAUNCHED TO RAISE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS

Taipei, June 2 (CNA) To promote the idea of a "Car-free Asia" and environmental awareness, 20 people from around the world, including eight from Taiwan, will launch a four-month "car-free" tour from Beijing to Paris, traveling on bicycle most of the way, on June 10 at Beijing's Tiananman Square.

The "Beijing to Paris (B2P) Car-free" tour is about "celebrating better mobility, " said Wu Yi-ting, one of the participants in the event, along with New Zealander Olly Powell, at a press conference. As the first group of participants have already started their tour, in April, Wu said, the second group will start the 100,000-kilometer expedition June 10, adding that they expect to arrive in Paris in October.

In 1907, three Italians completed the first Beijing-Paris trip by automobile. Wu and Powell came up with the idea of traveling the same route because "automobile transportation has changed the world in many ways and changed people's way of life, led to over-consumption of energy, and destroyed the environment, " said Wu, who has been living a carefree life and who has cycled across South America.

"This event will draw attention to one of the most important issues today. Nothing is more important than the issue of global warming. If we don't change the way we live, we'll have to build a memorial hall for the life we lost, " said Canadian composer Matthew Lien, who has been vocal on environmental issues and who has voiced support for the event.

The goal of this activity is to travel without cars or "support vehicles, " but it's up to the individual participants to make their travel plans and choose their routes. Most participants have indicated they will cycle all the way. Others will take trains and ferries on some sections of the journey.

Thus far, there are three likely three routes that will be traveled. Some participants are planning to go via the "middle route" -- through China, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan, Russia and Poland. Wu and the other participants from Taiwan will take a more northern route to avoid visa complications in Eastern Europe and will enter Europe via Finland. Some participants have suggested that they will take the classic Silk Road route, via Central Asia, Iran and Turkey.

"This event gives me the opportunity to fulfill my lifelong dream of cycling from Asia to Europe and to raise environmental awareness among Taiwanese, " said 32-year-old Aaron Huang, who quit his job of 15 years as an Air Force mechanic to take part in the activity.

"Hopefully, I can arrive in Paris on September 22 -- which is World Car-free Day, " Huang said.

A number of representatives of environmental groups, as well as the chairman of Mongolia's Green Party Erdenechuluun Zorigt, also attended the press conference to show their support for the event.

"This initiative by a Taiwanese girl gives us a perfect example of Taiwan's meaningful participation in international affairs, " said Pan Hen-sheng, secretary-general of the Green Party Taiwan.

VECO HAILS INTERRACIAL MARRIAGE BROKERAGE BAN

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) The ban on interracial marriage brokerage to be implemented by the government is "the right thing to do, " but accompanying measures and enforcement of the law are even more important, a Vietnamese representative in Taiwan said Friday.

The Vietnamese government has always opposed interracial marriage brokerage, said Nguyen Cong Manh, deputy head of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei (VECO) -- the Vietnamese representative office in Taiwan.

Nguyen was responding to an amendment to the Immigration Law in which legislators agreed Thursday to put an end to the controversial interracial marriage brokerage industry. Effective immediately, cross-border marriage brokers will be banned from doing business and offenders will be subject to punishment.

There are approximately 100,000 Vietnamese women married to Taiwanese men living in Taiwan at present, and one in three foreign spouses in Taiwan comes from Vietnam, Nguyen said.

"While most of them have happy marriages, there's no denying that problems such as abuse, fraudulent marriages and human smuggling are happening, which is why we, as a government, agree with the amendment, " he said.

The number of cross-border marriages between Taiwan and Vietnam reached a very high level from 1993-2003 before the Taiwan and Vietnam governments started implementing stricter regulations on marriage applications, Nguyen said, adding that the number has been stable ever since.

However, the demand was always there and Nguyen stressed that the governments of both sides will have to cooperate and work out a solution for those Taiwanese men who want to legally marry Vietnamese women.

"Otherwise, most of the brokerage companies will go `underground' and still do the same things under the guise of travel agencies or friendship societies," he said.

U.K. OFFICIAL IMPRESSED BY PERFORMANCE OF TAIWANESE STUDENTS

Taipei, June 1 (CNA) A visiting British education official said Friday that he was impressed by the high levels of performance of Taiwanese students and encouraged more Taiwanese students to go to U.K. to pursue higher education.

Taiwanese students can attain high levels of performance, particularly in mathematics and science subjects, said Andrew Adonis, U.K. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Schools.

Adonis was speaking during a private visit to Taipei to look at the strengths of the Taiwanese education system, in particular the factors that explain the sustained high attainment of Taiwanese children in standard international tests.

The schools he visited -- Jianguo Senior High School and Renai Junior High School -- have seen substantial increases in creativity education in their curricula, as well as self-directed learning and life skills learning, Adonis said, adding that this is something the U.K. education system can learn from.

He also spoke at National Chengchi University about the U.K. experience of education reform, noting that there are moves to give schools greater autonomy in school management and to give parents greater choice in terms of the types of schools on offer.

The U.K. government has placed "great emphasis on education" since Prime Minister Tony Blair assumed office 10 years ago, he claimed. One of the key priorities in U.K. education reform has been to "get the right leadership and teachers in schools, " Adonis said.

Among the practical measures taken are increasing teachers' salaries by 20 percent and those of principals by 25 percent, he said. Currently there are 40,000 more teachers than there were 10 years ago, he added.

In terms of higher education, the U.K. government is seeking to expand the numbers of universities and work-related degree courses and to increase funding and investment on leading-edge science.

Adonis visited Hong Kong and Singapore prior to his arrival in Taiwan. On Saturday he is scheduled to discuss aspects of Taiwan's education reform with academics and experts.

ECCT, TAIWAN BUSINESS DISCUSSIONS CONCLUDED

Taipei, May 30 (CNA) Resolutions to a substantial number of industry issues were reached in discussions between the European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) and the government, although little progress was made on cross- Taiwan Strait issues, the ECCT announced Wednesday.

"In all, around a dozen issues were conclusively resolved, while over 40 other issues were either close to being resolved or substantial progress had been made toward achieving workable solutions that were acceptable to both the government and the ECCT, " said ECCT Chairman Ralf Scheller after a series of meetings hosted by the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) that discussed around 150 issues that were raised in the ECCT's 2006-2007 Position Papers.

Normalization of cross-strait business relations, which the ECCT views as essential to Taiwan's future economic prosperity, however, was among a number of unresolved issues, ECCT officials said, noting that around 2,300 items remain on list of banned items for import into Taiwan from China.

The organization also pointed out that Taiwan is still not in compliance with a number of its World Trade Organization (WTO) commitments and said excessive regulation is hampering the development of the economy, especially in the service industry.

One of the good signs of the discussions is that some long-standing issues facing the automotive, retail and transportation industries were resolved. In addition, the ECCT recognized that the government has been instrumental in urging various ministries and departments to work harder to improve the business environment.

The ECCT released its 2006-2007 Position Papers in October 2006, stating that normalizing Taiwan's economic relations with China is crucial to Taiwan's future prosperity.