Political division must be resolved: Xi Jinping

LANDMARK EVENT:：Beijing is willing to negotiate with Taiwan under the ‘one China’ framework, the Chinese president told former vice president Vincent Siew in Bali
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter
Mon, Oct 07, 2013 - Page 1

Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) highlighted the “one China” framework and the urgency of resolving the cross-strait political division so it would not be “passed on from generation to generation” in his meeting with former vice president Vincent Siew (蕭萬長) yesterday in Bali, Indonesia, ahead of the annual APEC summit.

“The longstanding political division between the two sides will have to be eventually resolved step-by-step as it should not be passed on generation after generation ... We have reiterated that we are willing to engage in reciprocal negotiations on bilateral political issues with Taiwan under the ‘one China’ framework,” Xi was quoted as saying in a 30-minute closed-door meeting with Siew.

EDITORIAL: Clear immigration policy required

Fri, Aug 16, 2013 - Page 8

Prosecutor Huang Chao-kuei (黃朝貴) posted a message on his Facebook page on Sunday, saying that tens of thousands of migrant workers, mostly from Indonesia, had inconvenienced passengers and visitors at Taipei Railway Station, where they gathered to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

Huang’s posting was immediately blasted by commentators and netizens, but he denied any racist intent. However, his posting was just another example of the numerous little things — be they a look, a gesture or a careless comment — that take place every day in Taiwan and expose the divisions that lie beneath the veneer of Taiwanese society.

Groups remember first independence martyr

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Pro-independence groups yesterday paid tribute to Taiwanese independence activist Chen Chih-hsiung (陳智雄) at a press conference that commemorated Chen’s execution 50 years ago by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime.

Chen’s daughter, Vonny Chen (陳雅芳), displayed her father’s final letters written before his execution — which she did not receive until March this year — at the news conference organized by the World United Formosans for Independence (WUFI).

DPP touts starting regional alliance to boost democracy

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Academics and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) yesterday advocated the establishment of a democratic alliance, based on participants’ firm belief in democracy, to advance human rights and freedom, and to combat the global phenomenon of a retreating democratic movement.

DPP Chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who initiated the campaign on a visit to Japan in February, told a forum organized by the DPP at its headquarters in Taipei yesterday that the value-based alliance would seek to consolidate East Asian democratic countries in particular.

DPP’s Tsai calls for closer cooperation with Indonesia

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan should seek closer cooperation with Indonesia to gain an advantage in regional development in Asia and to “re-engage” Asian countries with comprehensive economic and cultural exchanges, former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday.

The former presidential candidate returned from a week-long trip to Indonesia on Saturday after meeting with lawmakers, academics and businesspeople to discuss democratic, economic and security developments in the ASEAN region.

DPP’s Tsai to talk trade, security on Indonesia trip

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Former Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) left on Sunday for an eight-day visit to Indonesia, where she is to engage in discussions about bilateral trade and regional security issues, her office said in a press release yesterday.

Tsai is scheduled to meet with government officials, academics and business representatives to exchange views on trade prospects between Taiwan and Indonesia, following the launch of Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) negotiations earlier this month, said Hung Yao-fu (洪耀福), the spokesperson for Tsai’s Thinking Taiwan Foundation.

Taiwan reaffirms wish to take part in regional economic integration

Taipei, April 30 (CNA) Taiwan's Economic Affairs Minister Shih Yen-hsiang reaffirmed Saturday Taipei's wish to participate in East Asia economic integration, but hinted that local people and industries might not be ready to accept consequences of such integration.

Taiwan is keen on engaging in international mechanisms to forge better economic integration in East Asia, such as the Free Trade Agreement of the Asia-Pacific (FTTAP) and the Trans-Pacific Strategic Economic Partnership (TPP) , Shih said in his closing remarks at an international conference in Taipei.

The International Conference on ECFA and East Asia Economic Integration, organized by the local think tank National Policy Foundation, discussed the impact and influence the landmark trade agreement between China and Taiwan has made in the region.

The minister said ECFA, as well as negotiations for free trade with Singapore, signals to the world that Taiwan does not want to be left out of the process of regional economic integration.

Progress has been made, he added, as India and the Philippines, as well as several Southeast Asian countries, have approached Taiwan to liberalize trade.

However, Shih pointed out, there will be many obstacles for Taiwan because it does not have official diplomatic ties with most countries in the region, and has too many political limitations when conducting free trade negotiations.

He also said most people and certain industries in Taiwan do not seem ready to open up domestic markets and face international competition, despite realizing that such arrangements would allow them to do business in other countries more easily as well.

Singapore is the first country to negotiate with Taiwan for an economic partnership agreement, after Taiwan signed the ECFA, for various reasons, said Sarah Y. Tong, a researcher at National University of Singapore. Among them, the two countries have had historically friendly ties. In addition, their industries do not compete as directly against each other.

In that sense, she added, Indonesia is also an ideal partner for Taiwan because its economic structure differs very much with Taiwan's.

Jeff Lin, a professor of Economics at National Taiwan University (NTU), said he is confident about the future of Taiwan-ASEAN economic partnerships because tariffs between the two sides are already low.

Lin called for Taiwan to further open its markets, especially in its service sector, to take advantage of synergies with other countries.

Regarding agriculture, one of the most sensitive sectors in free trade negotiations, Lin argued that it would be less of a concern because Taiwan's government has a strategy to promote its organic agriculture.

In Northeast Asia, negotiations between China, Japan and South Korea for a free trade agreement is an ambitious plan, but the process has been slow, said Lu Hsin-chang, an associate professor at NTU.

But the recent nuclear crisis in Japan has forced the country to cut down on electricity use. One quarter of its corporate activities might relocated to other countries, Lu said, adding that the spread of Japanese businesses could speed up the momentum for economic integration. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ly

Southeast Asian countries interested in Kuokuang project: official

Taipei, April 21 (CNA) Several Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Indonesia, have expressed interest in hosting the Kuokuang Petrochemical project that is generating massive protests in Taiwan, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Thursday.

Malaysia and Indonesia are among a number of Southeast Asian countries that expressed interest in the project via Taiwan's overseas representative offices, said James C.K. Tien, director-general of the Department of Asian and Pacific Affairs, at a regular press briefing.

The final review of the environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the multi-million-dollar project was being carried out on Thursday.

Opponents of the plan to build the petrochemical complex in the Dacheng Wetlands in central Taiwan have said it would create losses that would outweigh its benefits.

With several environmental groups, students and other activists protesting against the project, the idea of moving it offshore is being explored.

Malaysia was the first country reported to be interested in the plant. Its deputy minister of international trade and industry Mukhriz Mahathir said April 10 that Malaysia will be flexible on special requests by CPC Corp., the parent company of Kuokuang.

However, the countries that have expressed interest have not submitted any substantial plans for hosting the project, Tien said.

Asked by reporters whether those countries were concerned about the possible environmental effects of the project, Tien said every country has different priorities.

Meanwhile, government agencies in Taiwan have been sending mixed messages on the idea of relocating the Kuokuang plant overseas.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said April 7 that it supported the proposal, while the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) said the same day that it was not considering moving the first phase of the project out of the country.

Protests organized by environmental activists were held in various cities in Taiwan Wednesday, and of press time Thursday crowds were gathered outside the EPA building awaiting the decision on the EIA. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan irked by name change, gets correction

Taipei, March 24 (CNA) Taiwan lodged a successful protest with the Indonesian government after it listed Taiwan as part of the People's Republic of China on its foreign ministry's website, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

Local media reported Thursday morning that the Indonesian foreign ministry listed Taiwan as "Taiwan, PRC" on a webpage that specified which countries' tourists can apply for a visa-on-arrival.

MOFA subsequently asked Taiwan's representative to Indonesia to file a protest to the Indonesian government. Concurrently, MOFA submitted its own objection to Indonesia's representative office in Taipei, MOFA spokesman James Chang said.

The Indonesian government quickly corrected the error Thursday afternoon, replacing the "Taiwan, PRC" reference with "Chinese Taipei."

"Chinese Taipei" is the most common moniker for Taiwan when participating in international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee, the World Health Assembly, and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Similar name-changing incidents have occurred often in the past. This happens either because foreign governments and organizations do this voluntarily as part of their "one-China policy, " or are forced to do so under pressure from a Chinese government bent on claiming Taiwan as its own.

Such incidents in the past have included calling the island "Taiwan, China, ""Taipei, China," and Taiwan, province of China." (By Chris Wang) enditem/ly

Travelers should be aware of Bali, New Delhi health risks: MOFA

Taipei, Oct. 28 (CNA) Taiwanese nationals visiting parts of India and Indonesia are advised to be alert for contagious diseases that have been spread locally, the Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press release Thursday.

Cases of chikungunya fever, a disease affecting joints, have increased in the New Delhi area during the past two weeks. These come on top of dengue fever epidemics in India's capital. Meanwhile on the Indonesian resort island of Bali, a rabies epidemic has not been effectively controlled, according to the BOCA.

Taiwanese nationals visiting these areas are advised to be careful and check information on the Center for Diseases Control website (www.cdc.gov.tw), the bureau said. (By Chris Wang) Enditem/MH

Delegation to explore co-development offer on Indonesian islet

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA) A delegation departed for the Indonesian island of Morotai Tuesday as Taiwan mulls the Indonesian government's offer to have Taiwan help develop the island, officials of the two countries said Tuesday.

The Southeast Asian country has contacted Taiwan to participate in developing in the island, which is located between the Philippines and New Guinea and has a population of 50,000 people, confirmed Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman James Chang on Tuesday.

Taiwan welcomed the offer, he said.

Indonesia's representative to Taiwan Harmen Sembiring, officials from the MOFA's Department of Asian and Pacific Affairs and a group of Taiwanese businessmen embarked on a trip to the underdeveloped island Tuesday to conduct a preliminary evaluation, said Irene Pan of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei's Investment Department.

The delegation is scheduled to return to Taiwan Oct. 19, she said.

Pan said Indonesia's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries first made contact with Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) in September when Minister of Economic Affairs Shih Yen-shiang was in Indonesia at the head of a trade and investment delegation.

"The Indonesian side hopes to attract Taiwanese investment in the sectors of seafood production, fishing, aquaculture and tourism, " said Kuo Fu-chuan, a senior technical specialist in the MOEA's Department of Investment Services.

The evaluation is still in its initial stages, Kuo said, and the Fisheries Agency still needs to gather data on Morotai's hydrology, fish species and fishing regulations before conducting its evaluation.

After that, government agencies will be able to brief local businessmen on investment opportunities.

Indonesia has also offered Taiwan Sugar Corporation and state-run oil refiner CPC Corp. Taiwan the opportunities to establish an oil refinery and development land in other parts of the archipelago country, respectively, Kuo said.

Premier Wu Den-yih said at a legislative hearing Tuesday morning that there is no timetable yet for the development project because further assessment is needed.

The MOEA's Shih said it was still too early to go into the specifics of the project, but he noted that there has been a lot of interest among local businesses to invest in Indonesia.

Taiwan's accumulated investments in Indonesia total US$13.95 billion, according to the ministry.

Morotai is best known as the site of the Battle of Morotai in World War II in 1944 and was used as a springboard for the Allied invasion of the Philippines in 1945. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Four of six dead Indonesian workers identified

Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Four out of six Indonesian workers killed in a freeway construction collapse have been identified and officials have been working round the clock to identify the other two, an immigration official said Saturday.

Seven workers, including the six Indonesians, were killed and two others were injured after a sprawling network of scaffolding at a construction site for a No. 6 Freeway exit ramp collapsed Sept. 30.

As of Saturday, the four identified workers were 29-year-old Sutarji, 24-year-old Sunaryo, 31-year-old Suprapto and 20-year-old Sirmanto, according to Chang Chi, deputy director-general of the National Immigration Agency (NIA).

According to the NIA, the six workers were all undocumented migrant workers who had fled their previous employers and had overstayed their visas for up to three years.

The agency was working closely with the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office in Taipei -- Indonesia's representative office in Taiwan -- and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to help the families of the dead workers to get to Taiwan as soon as possible, Chang said.

The accident has brought up widespread social ramifications, with Premier Wu Den-yih pledging to enforce a crackdown on undocumented foreign workers and domestic employers and contractors who illegally hire migrant workers.

Wu has also instructed the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) to uphold the human rights of the dead workers and to provide their families with as much assistance as possible.

There were 151,723 Indonesian workers in Taiwan as of the end of August, according to figures from the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training under the CLA. The number accounted for more than 40 percent of the 372,146 migrant workers in Taiwan at that time. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Indonesian office awaiting identification of dead workers

Taipei, Oct. 1 (CNA) Indonesia's representative office in Taiwan has not begun to handle the deaths of six Indonesian migrant workers killed in a construction site accident Thursday as it has yet to be informed of their identity, an official with the office said Friday.

Seven workers, including six who were reportedly Indonesian, were killed and two others were injured after a sprawling network of scaffolding at a construction site for a No. 6 Freeway exit ramp collapsed early Thursday afternoon.

The No. 6 Freeway, which connects Caotun to Puli in central Taiwan, saves travel time to the popular tourist areas of Sun Moon Lake and Cingjing Farm.

"We've been in contact with labor affairs authorities since the accident happened, but we're still waiting for the final identification report from the police department to proceed with subsequent procedures, " said Amina Tjandra, a member of the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei's Labor Department.

The six migrant workers were reportedly illegally hired by contractors.

Tjandra said she has no information about the six workers.

"If the media report is correct, they could be undocumented workers who legally entered Taiwan but left their previous job, " she said.

There were 151,723 Indonesian workers in Taiwan as of the end of August, according to figures from the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training under the council. The number accounts for more than 40 percent of the 372,146 migrant workers in Taiwan at the time.

Just over 85 percent of Indonesian workers -- 129,046 out of 151,723 -- were working in Taiwan in August as caregivers, while less than 1 percent were employed in the construction industry, the figures showed. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Indonesian caretakers meet loved ones in Taiwan

Taipei, Sept. 25 (CNA) Seven Indonesian caretakers on Saturday met relatives they had not seen for years, at an emotional reunion in Taipei.

The seven female caretakers, selected from more than 100 applicants to take part in the event organized by Radio Taiwan International to reward hard-working migrant workers, hugged and kissed their husbands and fathers with tears streaming down their faces.

The families were flown in Friday from Indonesia for a six-day trip, during which they will share rare private moments and visit places of interest such as the Taipei 101 tower, mosques and scenic spots in the Taipei area.

Sunday, 33, finally had a chance to give her husband Datas Henry Gulton a kiss, something she was unable to do since she left her home country for Taiwan at midnight two years ago.

An employer surnamed Chung told the 200-odd guests at the ceremony that his family's caretaker, 44-year-old Masrikin, knew almost everything about his 95-year-old mother-in-law, even more than he did. Chung said he was happy to see Masrikin finally have an opportunity to meet her husband Kademin again after eight years.

Muryati, 39, was praised for saving her employer's life when she took the 90-year-old woman to a hospital emergency room without waiting for an ambulance, which arrived late.

Muryati's employer was so determined to accept her into the family that the family stopped eating pork out of respect for her Muslim faith.

Despite the occasional negative report in the headlines about migrant workers abuse, the seven inspiring stories related at the ceremony Saturday said a lot about what is happening in most people's daily lives, said Lin San-quei, director-general of Taiwan's Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training under the Council of Labor Affairs.

One such story, which was reported earlier this year, was about a Taiwanese employer forcing Indonesian workers to eat pork.

At the event Saturday, Taiwanese employers took pictures of their employees on stage and told everyone how proud they were of their Indonesian employees.

"My compatriots left their homes to take care of Taiwanese employers -- I hope that the people of Taiwan will look after my fellow Indonesians," said Harmen Sembiring, the representative at the Indonesian Economic and Trade Office to Taipei.

Four members of the Indonesian Parliament and staff members of the Indonesia's Antara news agency and Indonesian public television also joined the six-day tour.

According to Harmen, there are 151,723 Indonesian workers in Taiwan, accounting for more than 40 percent of all migrant workers. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

Taiwan carefully manages Dongshas amid sovereignty disputes

Taipei, Sept. 17 (CNA) While news of a Taiwanese fishing boat being chased by Japanese patrol vessels near the disputed Tiaoyutai Islands made headlines recently, Taiwan plays the opposite role with regard to the Dongsha Islands in the South China Sea.

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) is tasked with protecting the country's claims on the Dongsha Islands, located 450 kilometers southwest of Kaohsiung and also known as the Pratas Islands. Taiwan has claimed sovereignty over the islands and occupied them since 1946.

The island group includes Dongsha Island, which is 2.8 kilometers long and 865 meters wide, the Dongsha Atoll, and two underwater banks. The atoll is round in shape with a diameter of 25 kilometers.

While the Tiaoyutai Islands and the Dongsha Islands are both disputed territories, issues associated with the two are different, Yu Sy-tue, a spokesman for Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense, said Thursday during a press visit to the Dongsha Islands.

The Tiaoyutais are 100 nautical miles off Taiwan's northeast tip in the East China Sea and are under Japanese control, while control over islands in the South China Sea is more complicated.

Taiwan controls Dongsha Island, the largest island in the entire South China Sea, and Taiping Island, the largest island in the Spratlys.

The Dongsha Islands, the Paracel Islands, the Spratly Islands and the Macclesfield Bank have been claimed by as many as six countries:
Taiwan, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Brunei and Indonesia.

In 2008, former President Chen Shui-bian visited the Spratlys to inaugurate an airstrip, sparking protest from the Philippines and Vietnam.

Taiwan, however, has been trying to tone down its military presence and reduce tensions by promoting peaceful development and ocean conservation in the region -- both key elements in a "Spratlys initiative" Chen proposed in 2008.

In the Dongsha Islands, the Coast Guard replaced the Marine corps in 2000, establishing a Dongsha Command Post under its Southern Coast Patrol Office. Dongsha Island is closed to the public except for academic research groups. The Dongsha Atoll National Park was established in 2007 as one of Taiwan's eight national parks.

Today, the Dongsha Command Post and park officials say their core missions are rescues and biodiversity conservation, although the Coast Guard is also in charge of keeping fishermen from China, Vietnam and Hong Kong from entering territorial waters around the islands.

There are 100-200 people stationed on the island, including staff of the Coast Guard and the national park service, said Sung Tse-yang, deputy commander of the Dongsha Command Post. He declined to give an exact number.

Coral reef restoration is the most important task for the national park, and researchers have been working to restore coral inside and outside the atoll since destruction caused by El Nino in 1998, the administration said.

More attention has been focused on the South China Sea since United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asserted in late July that the U.S. "has a national interest" in the region, said Ger Baushuan, deputy secretary-general of the Department of East Asian and Pacific Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

While the Taiwan-controlled Dongsha Islands and the China-controlled Paracel Islands are relatively stable, the Spratlys are still the most controversial in the South China Sea, as Vietnam currently occupies 25 islands, Taiwan controls two and China, Malaysia and the Philippines have eight or nine each.

Ger said that he doesn't expect major conflict in the region in the near future and that Taiwan hopes all claimants will set aside disputes and collaborate on management and conservation.

"Our appeals remain the same, " he said. "We claim full sovereignty over the South China Sea and hope to resolve the issue through peaceful dialogue. The Taiwan government maintains channels for dialogues with all parties involved in the issue -- although they're mostly unofficial." (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Forum discusses ECFA, Taiwan's priorities for economic integration

Taipei, Sept. 3 (CNA) Taiwan is focusing on Asian regional economic integration after its historic trade agreement with China, panelists in a forum agreed Friday, but they had different opinions on Taiwan's priorities in the process.

Taiwan is able to leverage on the economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), which was signed in June to liberalize cross-Taiwan Strait trade ties with its largest trade partner, and prevent the country from being marginalized in Asia's economic integration, said Francis Liang, deputy minister of the Ministry of Economic Affairs.

"This is the first step, but we know that it is not enough, " he said at a forum co-organized by the ministry and the Chinese National Federation of Industries (CNFI) with a theme of Taiwan's role in regional economic integration.

Taiwan is hoping that it will be able to sign free trade agreements (FTAs) with other trade partners after it liberalizes trade relations with China. It received a boost of confidence when Singapore announced last month that it would study the feasibility of signing a trade pact with Taiwan.

Southeast Asia should be the first region Taiwan sets its sights on after the ECFA, said Yang Yung-ming, a professor at National Taiwan University and former consultant of the National Security Council, adding that Taiwan should seek to strengthen its relations with countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

The ASEAN is Taiwan's fifth-largest trading partner after China, the United States, Japan and the European Union (EU).

With stalls in the WTO's Doha talks, which tried to establish a multilateral free-trade mechanism, countries have been looking to establish a free trade system bilaterally and regionally, Yang said.

The Free Trade Area of Asia Pacific (FTAAP) and the East Asia Summit, a forum held annually by leaders of 16 countries in the East Asian region, are not likely to be the solution because there are too many differences between member states in terms of political systems, religions and the size of their economies, he said.

Despite a Chung-hua Institution for Economic Research study concluding that a Taiwan-Japan FTA would benefit Taiwan the most, a lot of factors will have to be taken into account in FTA negotiations, including social factors, political situations and the impact on local industries, Yang said.

That appears to make the ASEAN market a realistic goal for Taiwan as the next target of regional economic integration, he added.

Yang's remarks reflected a similar mentality to Taiwan's government, which has stated that Southeastern Asian countries will be at the top of its FTA-seeking agenda.

Many local businesspeople, however, still view the U.S. and the EU as the preferred targets in the "FTA drive" because of the large trade volumes, said Rock Hsu, CNFI vice chairman and chairman of Kinpo Group, one of the largest electronics groups in Taiwan. Most Chinese products end up selling to the American and European markets, he noted.

Hsu also urged the government to lay out a vision and long-term plans so local industries will have a clearer view of the future.

"Do we want to be a 'Free Trade Island' in the future? If the answer is yes, what preparation should we be doing to achieve that goal?" he said.

Panelists in the forum praised the ECFA, with Leslie Koo, chairman of Taiwan Cement Co., saying that the deal "has helped Taiwan to regain its economic vitality and momentum and has opened a window of opportunity for a prosperous future."

"We have to grab the opportunity because it will be gone in three to five years," Koo said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc

Abuse case shows lack of knowledge of Muslim culture: Arab officials

Taipei, May 22 (CNA) A recent scandal in which a Taiwanese employer forced Muslim workers to eat pork exposed a lack of knowledge of Islam in Taiwan and could harm Taiwan's international image, representatives from the Middle East said in Taipei Saturday.

While most of them accepted that it was an individual case, the diplomats urged the government to take notice of the severity of the incident, which has drawn international criticism and a protest by labor activists and migrant workers May 16 to demand respect for religious freedom.

"It shows that the Middle East is misunderstood here. And it is an opportunity for Taiwan to learn more about Muslim culture, " said Sulaiwan Al-Mughairy, Director of the Commercial Office of the Sultanate of Oman-Taiwan, on the sidelines of a Middle Eastern Culture Exhibition organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and representative offices of various Middle Eastern countries.

He said he had learned of many cases in which Muslims are prohibited from praying five times a day and observing Ramadan -- the Islamic month of fasting -- and that such employers should be punished severely.

Muzaffer Eroktem, representative of the Turkish Trade Office, said the incident was an individual case but emphasized that all religions should be respected.

Taiwan has good reasons to know more about the Middle East, as there are 60,000 Muslims in Taiwan and bilateral trade between Taiwan and the region in the first half of the 2009 reached US$27.1 billion, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Javier Hou said, adding that 83 percent of Taiwan's oil imports come from the region.

Hou admitted that Taiwan's understanding of the Middle East is limited, which is why the cultural exhibition will also be held in the central city of Changhua May 29-30 and in Pingtung City, southern Taiwan, June 5-6.

Representatives from Jordan and Saudi Arabia also attended the exhibition, which showcased food, artifacts, paintings, clothing and travel information relating to the Middle East. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Two crewmen of Taiwanese vessel die during Somali hijacking: MOFA

Taipei, Feb. 25 (CNA) Two crewmen -- an Indonesian and a Chinese national -- of a Taiwanese fishing vessel hijacked by Somali pirates that was later used to attack the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama, have died, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Thursday.

The MOFA also said it had not received any information from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which reportedly wants the original crew of the Win Far 161 for questioning in connection with the piracy attack against Maersk Alabama.

The 700-ton longliner Win Far 161 and its crew of 30 were released Feb. 11 by Somali pirates who hijacked the vessel near an island in the Seychelles in the Indian Ocean April 6, 2009. Two days later, the vessel was reported to have been used by Somali pirates as a mother ship in the April 8 attack against the U.S. ship.

Earlier this month, the MOFA said all the crew were safe and denied a report from the maritime watchdog Ecoterra International saying that three men -- two Indonesians and one Chinese crewman -- had died of malnutrition and disease.

The Win Far 161 is expected to return to Taiwan in mid-March, said Samuel Chen, director-general of MOFA's Department of African Affairs.

According to Ecoterra International, the 10-month Win Far 161 ordeal was the longest-running case of Somali piracy.

"During the 10 months the vessel was held in Somalia, information received by the ministry was vague and conflicting due to a lack of electronic communication, " Department of African Affairs section chief Huang Chih-yang said.

The ministry had trouble sending staff to Somalia due to safety concerns and had to rely heavily on the ship owner for information. The ship's owner did the negotiation for ransom and did not allow the ministry to interfere, Huang noted.

Chen rebutted reports that the hostages' respective authorities did not provide assistance to the crewmen and said the rescue was a coordinated international effort that involved many international organizations.

The ministry is aware of the report that the Win Far 161 was used to attack the Maersk Alabama right after it was seized, Huang went on, adding that global positioning system information shows the Taiwanese vessel was close to the U.S. ship at the time.

"It could have been used, but there is no way for us to confirm that at present, " Huang said.

MOFA raises travel alert for Indonesia, U.K.

Taipei, Feb. 2 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has elevated its travel alert level for Indonesia and the United Kingdom (U.K.) over concerns of potential terrorist attacks, the ministry said in a statement Tuesday.

The ministry has elevated the travel alert level for Indonesia and the U.K. to yellow, the second lowest on the MOFA's four-scale system, and also issued a red travel alert, the highest on the scale, for Iraq.

The MOFA said Indonesia, and especially Bali which attracts the most Taiwanese tourists, could possibly be targeted for a terrorist attack.

The ministry issued the new alert for Britain after the U.K.'s Home Office raised its domestic terrorism threat level in late January from substantial to severe, the second highest in its five-tier threat warning system, which means an attack is highly likely.

A yellow alert warns travelers to take extra precautions and reassess their travel plans for the place in question.

The terrorist group Al Qaida could also possibly launch attacks in Iraq, prompting the ministry to issue the highest red alert before the country holds its parliamentary elections on March 7. The ministry again advised Taiwanese travelers against visiting the Middle East country.

Four Taiwanese to attend Asian Young Leader Climate Forum

Taipei, Dec. 1 (CNA) A delegation of four young scholars will represent Taiwan in a global young leader forum to share experience and views on climate change.

Wang Ju-han, Chiu Hao-hsi, Lin Ssu-ying and Hsiao Wen-hsuan will participate in the Asian Young Leader Climate Forum (AYLCF) that will take place in Bogor, Indonesia from Dec. 3-10, according to an announcement by the British Council, initiator of the forum.

AYLCF offers 34 young leaders from 13 Asia-Pacific nations and the United Kingdom the opportunity to produce a regional climate action plan that will be presented to the 13th Conference of the Parties (COP 13) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to be held in Bali, Indonesia from Dec. 8-11.

"Hopefully, we can learn from participation in the forum and broaden our perspective on climate change as well as our understanding of what other countries are working on, " said Wang, a researcher at the Energy and Environment Research Laboratories of the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI)

"Climate change is a global phenomenon. With a little contribution from everyone, we can make a huge impact, " said Lin, who is working on an environmental management master's degree in Germany.

AYLCF is organized by the World Wildlife Fund-Indonesia and the Center for International Forestry Research.