Maintenance of Taiwan's AIM-120 missiles at risk: report

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) The sustainability of a U.S.-made missile that is part of Taiwan's defense arsenal could be at risk because the component makers have withdrawn from the manufacturing program, according to a military report.

The maintenance and life-cycle of the hundreds of AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) that Taiwan currently has in service could be affected by the move, said a Taiwan Air Force report on the 2010 AMRAAM International Users' Conference that was held in Florida in May 2010.

At the meeting, the U.S. had raised the issue of Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) , recommending that countries revise their procurement contracts to include maintenance and warranty clauses, the report said.

Citing the U.S. Air Force 649th Armament Systems Squadron (ARSS) that is in charge of managing such weapon system programs, the report said that the component shortage could begin in 2012.

However, the U.S. has been in contact with Raytheon, the main manufacturer of the missile, and the AMRAAM system program office on the possibility of developing replacement components, the report stated.

The U.S also intends to develop joint logistics support plans with Raytheon for the next two decades to maintain U.S. air dominance until at least 2030, according to the report.

The Taiwan air force is seeking assistance and advice from the U.S. on the issue because the humidity in Taiwan presents problems for the maintenance and storage of the missile, the report stated.

The AIM-120 is an air-to-air missile capable of all-weather, night and day performance. It is currently in service in the U.S. and 34 other countries, including Taiwan, with the total number exceeding 18,000. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

MECO chairman, Taiwan foreign minister to discuss deportation row

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) Armadeo Perez Jr., chairman of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), will arrive in Taipei Friday and will meet with Taiwan's Foreign Minister Timothy C.T. Yang the same day to discuss the diplomatic tensions between their two countries caused by a deportation issue, it was confirmed late Thursday.

Yang said he planned to express Taiwan's displeasure over the Philippines' deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China on Feb. 2 and would seek an apology from the Philippines for what he called its mistakes in its handling of the case.

"Taiwan is urging the Philippines to issue a formal apology and start negotiations on a mechanism for dealing with similar cases in the future," Yang said, as he confirmed Perez' visit.

The MECO, the Philippines' representative office in Taiwan, also confirmed Thursday night that Perez will visit Taiwan and will meet with Yang.

The meeting between Perez and Yang will be the first at that level since the dispute broke out on Feb. 2.

Perez will arrive in Taipei ahead of a mission from Manila that is expected to be led by an envoy of Philippine President Benigno Aquino and to offer Taiwan an explanation of why the Philippine administration acted as it did in the matter.

Arguing that Manila had ignored its jurisdiction rights by sending the 14 suspects to China, Taiwan subsequently implemented punitive measures against the Philippines, including tighter visa screening of Philippine nationals seeking to work in Taiwan.

Taiwan recognizes Manila's "goodwill" in its plan to send an envoy but insists that the Philippine government apologize, government spokesman Johnny Chiang reiterated Tuesday.

Manila has so far maintained that there is no need to apologize to Taiwan over the deportation issue. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Philippine envoy's message crucial to Taiwan's next move: MOFA

Taipei, Feb. 17 (CNA) Taiwan's next move in the efforts to resolve a diplomatic dispute with the Philippines will depend on who Manila sends to Taipei to deal with the issue and what the envoy says, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Thursday.

"The Philippines is expected to announce soon its its choice of an envoy, who should arrive in Taiwan within a week, " MOFA spokesman James Chang told reporters. "Our response will be contingent on who the envoy is and what message he or she brings."

Taiwan and its southern neighbor have been engaged in a diplomatic row over the Philippines' deportation of 14 Taiwanese fraud suspects to China Feb. 2.

Arguing that Manila had ignored its jurisdiction rights, Taiwan subsequently implemented punitive measures against the Philippines, including tighter visa screening of Philippine nationals seeking to work in Taiwan.

Philippine President Benigno Aquino said last week that he would send an emissary to Taiwan to explain his administration's actions in the matter.

According to the Philippine media, Manuel Roxas, a close friend of the president who once served as the Philippines' trade and industry minister, has been selected to head the mission to Taiwan.

Taiwan recognizes Manila's "goodwill" in its plan to send an envoy but insists that the Philippine government apologize, government spokesman Johnny Chiang reiterated Tuesday.

Manila has maintained that there is no need to apologize to Taiwan over the deportation issue.

Asked by a reporter whether President Ma Ying-jeou will meet with the Philippine envoy, Chang said that will be decided after the Philippines makes an official announcement.

In related news, the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), the Philippines' de facto representative office in Taiwan, declined to comment Thursday on a visit to Taiwan by MECO Chairman Armadeo Perez reportedly to appeal on behalf of Philippine workers who allegedly have been having a hard time returning to their jobs in Taiwan since the deportation controversy.

The MOFA said Taiwan's stricter visa application measures do not apply to those who already have permits to work in Taiwan, and would not prevent them from returning to the Philippines for vacations or emergency visits. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan to host top figure skaters in Four Continent Championships

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Taiwanese fans will get a rare opportunity to witness top figure skaters perform live -- for free -- in the 2011 Four Continent Figure Skating Championships to be held in Taipei this week.

All the reigning world champions among a total of 93 skaters and couples from 16 countries will compete Feb. 17-20 at the Taipei Arena, in the event.

"The tournament, which has been hosted in China, South Korea and the United States in the past and is widely popular, is being held in Taiwan for the first time. And there will be free entry for spectators in order to promote winter sports in Taiwan, " said Rich Lee, secretary-general of the Chinese Taipei Skating Union (CTSU) , the event's local organizer, on Tuesday.

Local fans are guaranteed "a strong field and a very exciting competition at a high level, " said Selina Vanier, media coordinator of the International Skating Union (ISU) , the main organizer of the event.

When the lights go up on the opening night, most attention is expected to turn to popular Japanese skaters, including 2010 men's world champion Daisuke Takahashi, and a pair of compatriots -- Mao Asada and Miki Ando -- who are almost certain to have tense competition in the ladies event.

A contingent of more than 150 Japanese reporters, including more than 60 from Fuji Television alone, are among hundreds of foreign media who have arrived in Taiwan to cover the prestigious event, according to the CTSU.

Asada, the 2010 world champion, headlines the ladies field. Her challenge is expected to come from current Grand Prix Final champion Alissa Czisny of the United States, as well as from Japanese champion Ando and Japan's Akiko Suzuki.

Takahashi will face a stiff challenge from Grand Prix Final bronze medalist Takahiko Kozuka.

Chinese pair Qing Pang and Jian Tong, the 2010 world champions, are aiming for their fifth Four Continent title with competition coming from Canadian champions Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch.

World and Olympic champions Tessa Virtues and Scott Moir of Canada will make their season debut in the Ice Dance category, with world and Olympic silver medalists Meryl Davis and Charlie White of the U.S. expected to be their main competitors.

Three men and three women skaters will be representing Taiwan in the competition. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

World Muslim League to hold seminar in Taipei

Taipei, Feb. 15 (CNA) Religious leaders and scholars from more than 20 countries are scheduled to participate in a seminar organized by the Muslim World League (MWL) Feb. 21-22 in Taipei, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.

The seminar, titled "Dialogue: A Human Common Bond" and co-organized by the Muslim World League and the Taiwan-based Chinese Muslim Association, will be held at the National Central Library, said Lin Jinn-jong, director-general of the MOFA's Department of West Asian Affairs, at a press briefing.

The Taipei seminar, Lin said, will be the second time the MWL has taken its religious conference overseas and the first time the religious dialogue will be held in Taiwan, one of the founding members of the MWL, which was established in 1962.

One of the largest Islamic nongovernmental organizations, the MWL receives most of its funding from Saudi Arabia.

"The holding of this seminar in Taipei shows recognition of Taiwan's religious freedom, " Lin said.

Led by MWL Secretary-General Abdullah bin Abdul Mohsin Al-Turki, scholars and leaders from Saudi Arabia, Japan, South Korea, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia and Taiwan will attend the two-day seminar.

The conference will try to promote dialogue between different religions and peace while also campaign against extremists who use Islam as a tool to promote terrorism, according to Lin.

Islam is not a major religion in Taiwan, which is dominated by Buddism and Taoism. According to Ishag Ma, the imam of the Grand Mosque in Taipei and secretary-general of the Chinese Muslim Association, there are around 200,000 Muslims in Taiwan, with 150,000 of them being migrant workers from Indonesia.

In Taiwan, mosques can be found in Taipei, Jhongli, Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Tseng leads Australian Ladies Masters after three rounds

Taipei, Feb. 12 (CNA) Yani Tseng of Taiwan fired nine birdies in a bogey-free round to jump to the top of the leaderboard Saturday and take a three-shot lead into the final round of the Australian Ladies Masters at Gold Coast, Australia.

Tseng, ranked No. 2 in the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) world rankings, could overtake Jiyai Shin of South Korea as the world No. 1 if she wins the tournament Sunday.

The 22-year-old, voted the 2010 LPGA Player of the Year, shot a nine under par 63 in the third round for a 54-hole total of 20 under par 196 at the Royal Pines resort and narrowly missed an opportunity to tie the 62-stroke course record set by Australian golfer Karrie Webb after blowing a birdie putt at the final hole.

Tseng said in a post-game interview that she "played so much better than yesterday, " when she missed some easy putts, adding that she "feels comfortable right now" and is happy at her brilliant start of 2011.

She won the Taifong Ladies Open in Taiwan last month to open her season and followed up with a victory in the Women's Australian Open last week that moved her world ranking up three spots from No. 5 to No. 2.

Tseng shot 67 and 66 in the first two rounds, finishing a stroke behind American Stacey Lewis and Australian Kristie Smith heading into the third round. She opened the third round with three straight birdies and played consistently throughout the day with four birdies in the front nine and five in the back nine for the low round of the day.

Lewis, who shot 67 Saturday, was three strokes behind Tseng in second place with 17 under par, with American Ryann O'Toole another two shots back. Australia's Ashleigh Simon, who shot 68, was fourth at 14 under par.

Tseng, who also won the Taifong Ladies Open in Taiwan and the Ladies Australian Open at the beginning of 2010, went on that year to win two majors -- the Kraft Nabisco Championship and the Women's British Open -- and this year, her goal is to win the only major championship to have eluded her in her young career -- the U.S. Open.

Following the Australian Ladies Open, a tournament of the European Ladies Tour, Tseng will begin her 2011 LPGA season at Honda LPGA Thailand, which will be held Feb. 17-20 in Chonburi, Thailand. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan hopeful of making AFC Challenge Cup group phase

Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) Taiwan has never been known for its soccer prowess, but its national team had a good start to 2011 after beating Laos 5-2 in Kaohsiung Thursday night, raising its hopes of making the 16-team group stage in the 2012 Asian Football Federation (AFC) Challenge Cup.

The win will boost Taiwan's confidence when it travels to Vientiane, Laos on Feb. 16 for the second leg of their home-and-away encounter, as it vies to become one of four teams in the eight-team playoff to qualify for the group phase, consisting of four groups of four teams each.

Eight teams -- the winner and runner-up of each group -- will then qualify for the AFC Challenge Cup 2012 Finals.

Taiwan, ranked 154th in the world, had no problem crushing lower-ranked Laos in its first international game of the year. Chang Han scored two goals as Taiwan pushed the lead to 5-0 after 56 minutes.

But Laos pulled back two goals, cutting into Taiwan's margin of error in the return leg.

Taiwan's head coach Lo Chih-tsun said that Taiwan will advance in the competition if it wins or draws the return match or loses by fewer than three goals.

The team will be eliminated, however, if it loses on Feb. 16 by margins of 3-0 or 4-1 because away goals scored will serve as the tiebreaker.

The biannual AFC Challenge Cup was established in 2006 by the AFC with the goal of giving countries in the "emerging associations class" -- the lowest of three AFC classes -- more exposure and game experience.

Some teams from developing associations and developed associations, however, have also participated in the tournament.

North Korea won the tournament in 2010. Tajikistan and India won in 2006 and 2008, respectively. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Autonomy high on Taiwan's indigenous affairs agenda in 2011

Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) Indigenous autonomy and indigenous rights of land and sea -- two of the most controversial issues -- will be on the top of the policy agenda in 2011, Taiwan's government agency overseeing aboriginal affairs said Friday.

Enactment of the Indigenous Autonomy Act and the Indigenous Land and Sea Act were listed among 10 policy priorities for the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) in 2011, CIP Minister Sun Ta-chuan said in a press conference.

If the laws are approved by the Legislative Yuan, the indigenous peoples will be able to enjoy autonomy and utilization of their native land and sea, which has been taken away by the Han people that emigrated to Taiwan long after the aborigines but have become the dominant ethnic group on the island, Sun said.

There were 512,701 aborigines in Taiwan as of December 2010, according to the statistics of the Ministry of the Interior. The number accounts for approximately 2.2 percent of Taiwan's population of 23 million.

However, there have been tense debates between the government and aborigine rights activists about the autonomy act drafted by the executive branch, which would allow the establishment of autonomous governments and indigenous councils in various autonomous regions across the country but will not grant them actual administrative and fiscal jurisdictions.

Indigenous activists claimed the result would be a "pseudo autonomy, " but Sun said it will take time and a step-by-step process to reach a full autonomy, adding that he hoped the indigenous people would support the bill.

The proposal is the best and the most realistic option at present if no changes were to happen to the current administrative divisions and territory, Sun said.

With awareness of the "indigenous identity" rising among the aborigines, an indigenous movement has slowly gathered momentum in recent years. The Tarokos, based in eastern Taiwan, have been active in trying to become the first autonomous tribe in Taiwan's 14 indigenous tribes.

Aborigine rights advocates and people of the Amis tribe staged a protest in front of the Presidential Office last month to demand an official apology and respect for the aborigines' basic rights, including land rights. (By Chris Wang) enditem/jc

One China not cited as reason for deportation: Taiwan envoy

Taipei, Feb. 11 (CNA) The Philippines did not mention anything about its "one China policy" during Taiwan's negotiations with Philippine officials to bring back 14 Taiwanese suspects, who were eventually deported to China, Taiwan's representative to Manila said Friday.

"The one China policy has never been mentioned during our negotiations with the Philippine authorities, " said Donald Lee, who was recalled by Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in protest against the Feb. 2 deportation of 14 Taiwanese who were arrested late last year on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals.

Several Philippine politicians, including Presidential Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr., had said the Southeast Asian country's decision to send all the suspects to China was out of respect for Manila's "one China policy." The comments have drawn criticism from Taiwan's government and lawmakers.

Antonio Basilio, managing director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) -- the Philippines' representative office in Taiwan -- said Thursday that Ochoa's comment was not the position of the Philippine government and the decision was not related to politics and sovereignty.

Lee did not answer a reporter's question if he agreed that the Philippines' decision was not politically-motivated.

The diplomat returned to Taipei Friday morning, five days after Taiwan announced the recall and tighter screening of for Philippine workers who wish to work in Taiwan as retaliatory measures against its southern neighbor, which Taiwan said ignored its demand to send the 14 back to Taiwan.

In a highly-publicized press conference, Lee explained in details what he and his staff had done since the suspects were arrested on Dec. 27 and said that he has asked to be reprimanded by the MOFA because he failed to stop the deportation.

While the Philippine government insisted that it does not need to apologize to Taiwan for the deportation, Lee said Philippine Secretary of Justice Leila De Lima did offer an apology on behalf of its Bureau of Immigration which she said had failed to provide correct information about the Taiwanese suspects.

Several of the suspects complained that they had been robbed by the Philippine authority after being arrested and lost their cell phones, cameras and cash, Lee added. (By Chris Wang) enditem/sc

Deportation unrelated to sovereignty, politics: Philippine envoy

Taipei, Feb. 10 (CNA) The Philippine government stands by its position on the deportation of 14 Taiwanese to China and reiterated that the expulsion was intended to serve social justice rather than issues of sovereignty or politics, the Philippines' representative to Taiwan told CNA Thursday.

Antonio Basilio, managing director of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taipei, urged both sides to "tone down the rhetoric" amidst the escalating diplomatic spat after the Southeast Asian country deported to China 14 Taiwanese suspects, arrested late last year on charges of cross-border fraud against Chinese nationals.

While Taiwan said the Philippines ignored its demands to repatriate the suspects back to Taiwan and insisted on an official apology from the Philippines, Manila stuck to its stance Thursday that it does not need to apologize to Taiwan.

"Apology can take many forms, " Basilio said during the interview without elaboration.

Philippine Secretary of Justice Leila De Lima did apologize to Donald Lee, Taiwan's envoy to Manila, for what Lee described as discourtesy and impropriety of action during the Bureau of Immigration's handling of the case, Basilio said.

However, "Secretary De Lima did not apologize for the actual deportation of the 14 Taiwanese to China, " he added.

The Philippines dealt with the case from the perspective of law enforcement, jurisdiction and social justice rather than from the point of view of politics and sovereignty, he said.

Taiwan could have claimed jurisdiction of the 14 Taiwanese suspects if its authorities had pressed charges or filed warrants for the suspects before their eventual deportation, the representative pointed out.

"If Taiwan did that, then the question of whose jurisdiction would arise... then that has to be settled by Taiwan and China. Or we could have tried the case in the Philippines, " he went on.

Basilio said comments made by Philippines Presidential Executive Secretary Paquito N. Ochoa Jr. a day earlier that his country's decision to send all the suspects to China was out of respect for Manila's "one China policy," was "not the position of the Philippine government."

The diplomat said he could see a "silver lining" for Taiwan-Philippines relations, which he said could be repaired if both sides tone down their rhetoric and enter discussions.

"We are taking Taiwan seriously but we have our own national interests to protect, " Basilio said. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J