Removing Falun Gong posters a mistake: Tourism Bureau

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

The Tourism Bureau yesterday said that an administrative order demanding local governments remove posters and billboards put up by the Falun Gong movement at tourist attractions was a “rookie mistake” made by a new official and the bureau would revise the order within a week.

Blasted by lawmakers and representatives of Falun Gong in a news conference, Tourism Bureau Deputy Director-General Chang Hsi-tsung (張錫聰) said that the document, issued on Sept. 26, which asked all Falun Gong posters to be removed, was a mistake.

Luxury tax hurting jobs: yacht builders

ALL AT SEA:Yacht builders said a special sales levy on luxury goods is damaging efforts to revitalize the industry, adding that each order can lead to 100 jobs
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Yacht builders yesterday urged the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to stop listing yachts as luxury items, saying the government has been shooting itself in the foot by trying to promote the recreational marine industry while levying a special sales levy on yachts.

“Yachts should be considered a consumer product rather than property or a luxury product that can be used for speculative profit. More importantly, the industry creates jobs and could be an integral part of Taiwan’s development of the recreational marine industry,” Taiwan Yacht Industry Association (TYIA) president John Lu (呂佳揚) said.

Lawmaker says travel agencies threatened

BIG BROTHER:Fears were raised that Beijing could leverage its economic prowess by subsidizing Chinese companies and driving Taiwanese agencies out of business
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Taiwan’s travel agencies could suffer from the signing of a cross-strait service trade agreement due to differences in the size of the two economies across the Taiwan Strait and the principle of reciprocity present in any free-trade agreement, Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) said yesterday.

Hsu examined the potential impact the pact may have on local travel agencies once it is signed, as the government has not yet completed an impact assessment for the pact, which the Straits Exchange Foundation said could be signed before the end of the year.

Tourism industry urges action on Suhua Highway

By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Members of the tourism industry in eastern Taiwan yesterday called for immediate action by the government to improve the transportation situation and relieve their imminent loss of business from the closure of the Suhua Highway.

A section of the Suhua Highway between Suao (蘇澳) and Tongao (東澳) was closed on Saturday after a road collapsed because of heavy rain, resulting in mass cancellations of hotel reservations for the Christmas and New Year holidays.

US visa waiver ‘in October’

By Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

Vice President Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday said Taiwan will probably be included in the US’ visa waiver program in October.

Wu made the remarks at the opening ceremony of the Taipei Tourism Exposition.

“A total of 127 countries have lifted their visa requirement for Taiwan,” Wu said. “Let me tell you this, the US should be able to start including us in its visa waiver program around October. As tourists, we will be more respected and more welcome than before when we travel.”

VAC belittled itself for China: DPP lawmakers

‘LOCAL TABOOS’:Two recreational farms removed references to government agencies from promotional material when they visited a travel fair in China last year
By Chris Wang  /  Staff reporter

Lawmakers yesterday accused the Veterans Affairs Commission (VAC) of belittling itself with its recommendation that recreational farms remove the names of government agencies from their titles and in their promotional material to avoid “offending” Chinese tourists and the government in Beijing.

The commission said in its January report on the nation’s participation at the Chinese International Travel Mart in Kunming, Yunnan Province, China, in October last year that the wording on promotional material should not violate “local taboos,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers Tsai Chih-chang (蔡其昌) and Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) told a press conference yesterday.

Chinese FITs could cause problems for hospitals

By Chris Wang  /  Staff Reporter

Different expectations about medical services in Taiwan and China could represent a great challenge for Taiwan with the Chinese free independent travelers (FIT) program, a cross-strait medical service provider said yesterday.

“More than a reasonable fraction of hospitalized Chinese tourists intentionally extend their stay in Taiwanese hospitals, which have long been known for top-notch medical services,” International SOS general manager Keynes Chen (陳楷植) said.

“They even invited family members and relatives to come to Taiwan and visit them in hospital so they could brag about it,” he said.

Meanwhile, most Taiwanese clients of the international healthcare and security company asked to return home as soon as possible after falling ill in China, Chen said.

Following the launch of the FIT program on June 28, an increasing number of Chinese tourists could mean more trouble for Taiwanese hospitals, which have had difficulty collecting medical bills from Chinese patients, Chen said.

Although he did not have the numbers for uncollected debt from Chinese patients, Chen said the number could be “alarming.”

The insurance coverage rate in Taiwan reaches 200 percent, which means two premiums for every citizen, Chen said. In China, the coverage rate is about 10 percent, which explains why the medical debt in China is so high, he said.

In negotiations with China, Taiwan has requested that Chinese travelers purchase overseas travel insurance to ensure medical bills will be paid if they are admitted to a hospital, Bureau of Medical Affairs Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said before the first group of FITs arrived.

However, Shih said both sides failed to reach agreement during the sixth round of negotiations between Straits Exchange Foundation Chairman Chiang Pin-kung (江丙坤) and Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait Chairman Chen Yunlin (陳雲林).

Taiwan will make the request again during a working group meeting this month or next to discuss the Cross-Strait Agreement on Medical and Health Cooperation, which was signed in December.

MOFA denies miscommunication with AIT over visa fee announcement

Taipei, May 5 (CNA) There was no miscommunication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) over the timing of a news release on lower U.S. visa application fees, a MOFA official said Thursday.

It was reported in the local media that the AIT, the United States representative office in Taipei in the absence diplomatic ties, was displeased with the MOFA for unilaterally announcing Wednesday an upcoming reduction in U.S. visa application processing fees.

MOFA spokesman James Chang said in a press briefing that the incident was not a "blunder" as described by the media.

The MOFA received a written notice from the AIT on May 2 and released the news Wednesday for two reasons, he said.

"First of all, we saw the announcement as great news for people and secondly, we wanted to get it out as soon as possible because Taiwan was planning to simultaneously lower its visa fees for U.S. passport holders, " Chang said.

The news release by the MOFA's Bureau of Consular Affairs (BOCA) stated that the cost of a general non-immigrant U.S. visa will be lowered from NT$4,340 (US$140) to NT$4,200 with effect from May 9. However, the announcement was removed from the bureau's website Wednesday night after the AIT expressed concerns.

Chang declined to comment on whether the BOCA's had mishandled the matter, but he denied that the bureau had intentionally sent out the press release before the AIT to "take credit" for the change.

In a telephone interview with Central New Agency Thursday morning, AIT spokesman Christopher Kavanagh said that the "AIT is the sole, definitive source of information about consular fees."

"At this time, the current fee for a general non-immigrant visa remains NT$4,340," he said.

The spokesman did not elaborate on whether there had been any miscommunication between the two sides, neither did he say when his office planned to issue an official release on the fees.

He said the AIT usually adjusts the exchange rate for calculating visa fees in accordance with regulations.

The AIT will inform the Taiwan Post Office of the change, and the post office will implement it within a practicable period of time, he said.

He said that when the change goes into effect, AIT will post the new visa fees on its website and they will be implemented "immediately."

The AIT usually adjusts its visa fees when the average appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar in any particular month exceeds 5 percent.

The MOFA recently urged the AIT to reduce its visa fees in light of the appreciation of the Taiwan dollar. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

No date set for opening to individual mainland Chinese tourists: MAC

Taipei, April 14 (CNA) The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Thursday that there has been no precise date set for allowing independent mainland Chinese tourists to enter Taiwan, but added that it will be no later than July 1.

A local media report that individual mainland Chinese tourists will be allowed entry from the Dragon Boat Festival holiday on June 6 with the maximum daily number of entries set at 500 was incorrect, MAC Vice Minister Liu Te-hsun said in a regular press briefing.

The MAC is Taiwan's top cross-strait policy-making body.

The Taiwan Strait Tourism Association and the Cross-Strait Tourism Exchange Association, organizations authorized by Taipei and Beijing, respectively, to deal with tourism exchange affairs, are still hammering out the details, he said.

At the moment, tourists from mainland China can only enter Taiwan as part of a tour group with a maximum of 4,000 people allowed to enter the country per day.

Local tourism businesses are hoping for increased business opportunities as a result of the opening to individual Chinese tourists, especially in the area of medical tourism.

However, there are also concerns about the possibility of a dramatic increase in the number of mainland Chinese tourists who overstay their visas, and individual Chinese visitors might be required to pay a cash deposit upon entry, Liu said.

In addition, local travel agencies will face the challenges of rising costs and increased risk in accepting individual mainland Chinese tourists, Liu said. The government holds travel agents responsible for their clients and fines them if their charges overstay or abscond while in Taiwan. The agents will find it much more difficult to control and monitor the movements of independent tourists compared with dealing with groups. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

More countries grant Taiwan visa-free privileges

Taipei, March 29 (CNA) Thirteen more countries or territories have granted Taiwan visa-free privileges, bringing to 113 the number of destinations for which Taiwanese travelers no longer need visas, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced in a press release Tuesday.

The French government has granted visa-waiver treatment for Taiwan passport holders for its 11 overseas territories of up to 90 days in a six-month period, according to the MOFA.

The territories include the French overseas regions of Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guyana, Reunion and Mayotte; the overseas collectivities of French Polynesia, Saint-Barthelemy, Saint-Martin, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon and Wallis and Futuna; and the special collectivity of New Caledonia.

Meanwhile, the African countries of Tanzania and Mozambique have also extended visa-on-arrival treatment to Taiwan passport holders, the MOFA said.

Taiwan has since last year been on a drive to obtain visa-free privileges as part of efforts to commemorate the Republic of China's centennial.

Malaysia became the 100th country to grant Taiwanese citizens visa-free or landing visa privileges March 18. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Australia, Malaysia to grant Taiwan visa privileges soon: MOFA

Taipei, Feb. 8 (CNA) Taiwan passport holders are expected to face simpler procedures to travel to Australia and Malaysia by the end of the first half of this year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

Malaysia is likely to grant Taiwanese travelers visa-free treatment by the end of March, and Australia is likely to offer electronic travel authority (ETA) services online by the end of June, said Matthew Lee, director-general of the MOFA's Department of East Asian & Pacific Affairs.

In the case of Australia, Taiwanese passport holders are currently eligible to apply for an ETA, which is the equivalent of a visa and issued electronically by Australia's Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC).

But they must do so manually rather than online, and in the future, Australia is expected to provide the more convenient online service to Taiwan passport holders with registered permanent residence, Lee said at a press briefing.

It will hold off, however, on discussing granting the privilege to the group that gives it the most concern -- passport holders who do not have registered permanent residence -- Lee added.

The Malaysian Cabinet has reached a consensus to grant Taiwanese visitors visa-free treatment, and an official announcement could be made in the first quarter, according to Lee.

Malaysia canceled visas on arrival for all countries on Aug. 15 last year, claiming that many visitors had abused the privilege and overstayed the visas they received. Taiwan has allowed Malaysians to visit Taiwan without a visa since 2002. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

No Taiwanese injured in Moscow airport blast: MOFA

Taipei, Jan. 25 (CNA) No Taiwanese national was injured in the explosion that ripped through a Moscow airport on Monday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) reported Tuesday.

"All Taiwanese businessmen and students currently in Russia are safe, according to our representative office in Moscow, " MOFA spokesman James Chang said at a press briefing.

A suicide bomber blew himself up at Domodedovo Airport, Moscow's busiest airport, on Monday. At least 35 people were killed and 180 were wounded in the blast as of Tuesday morning Taiwan time, according to wire reports.

There are up to 300 Taiwanese nationals currently living in Russia, Chang said, including 150 students, 50 businessmen and dozens of diplomatic and trade officials.

Of this group, 75 students and 40 businessmen live in the Greater Moscow area.

The travel alert level for the Russian Federation remained yellow, the second lowest level in the MOFA's four color system, Chang said, but the ministry was monitoring the latest situation and would raise the alert level if needed. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

President, premier laud Taiwan's diplomatic achievements

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) President Ma Ying-jeou and Premier Wu Den-yih lauded Taiwan's diplomatic achievements on New Year's Day, saying that the government's policy of flexible diplomacy has won Taiwan the respect of the international community.

"You don't often see a country with as few diplomatic allies as Taiwan -- we have only 23 -- being so active and energetic internationally, " the president said at an exhibition organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Taipei Guest House.

Ma cited the increase in the number of countries or regions granting Taiwan visa-waiver privileges since he took office in May 2008 -- from 53 to 96 -- as an example of the country's diplomatic advances.

He attributed the increase not only to those countries' respect and trust of Taiwanese passport holders but also to recognition of Taiwan's efforts in relaxing cross-Taiwan Strait tensions.

Taiwan's pragmatism and flexible approach in its diplomacy has won praise around the world and stopped a diplomatic war with China to entice each other's allies -- often with cash -- to change their allegiances.

Taiwan has also repeatedly shown that it could contribute to the international community, evidenced by the humanitarian relief effort after its Caribbean ally of Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake last January, Ma said.

He also lauded the charitable works abroad of such nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) as the well-known Tsu Chi Foundation, World Vision Taiwan, and Taiwan Foundation for Children and Families.

These efforts have demonstrated the soft power that Taiwan has been able to utilize in participating in the international community, he said.

Ma acknowledged, however, the importance of regular diplomacy, saying that he still remembered how "uncomfortable" he felt as a New York University law student in the mid-1970s when he first read about the United States Court for China, which existed from 1906 to 1943 and had extraterritorial jurisdiction over U.S. citizens in China.

Speaking at the same occasion, Premier Wu highlighted the European Union (EU) visa-waiver program, which is scheduled to take effect Jan. 11 and give Taiwanese passport holders visa-free exemption to 35 European countries.

He described it as one of the most important diplomatic achievements of the past year and as a signal that the EU "completely respects, trusts and accepts the 23 million people of Taiwan."

Wu said Taiwan's diplomatic achievements were reflected by two numbers: inbound arrivals surpassed 5 million for the first time ever in a single year in 2010 and the growth rate of cargo and passenger volume at Taoyuan International Airport in 2010 both ranked ahead of those of the other Asian Tigers -- Hong Kong, South Korea, and Singapore. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Malaysia reportedly to grant Taiwan visa-free treatment

Taipei, Jan. 1 (CNA) Malaysia reportedly will grant Taiwanese passport holders visa-free treatment soon, according to a Malaysian newspaper report, but Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) declined to confirm the report Saturday.

In an article published on Dec. 31, the Chinese-language Sin Chew Daily quoted Lo Yu-chung, representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, as saying that the Malaysian government "is expected to implement visa-free measures for Taiwanese passport holders in a short time."

Responding to the report, MOFA spokesman James Chang said Saturday that Taiwan has expressed its concerns and demands to Malaysia, but he would not comment on whether or not the Malaysian government has such plan.

"I believe that the Malaysian government will make an announcement, if there is any, at an appropriate time, " Chang said.

Malaysia has canceled visas on arrival for all countries since Aug. 15, claiming that many visitors had abused the privilege and overstayed the visas they received. Taiwan has allowed Malaysians to visit Taiwan without a visa since 2002.

The MOFA has urged Malaysia to grant Taiwan a visa waiver based on mutual benefit, and Taiwan's Legislative Yuan said it was contemplating re-imposing visa requirements for Malaysian nationals if the privileges were not reciprocated.

Ruling Kuomintang (KMT) legislators Lin Yu-fang and Chang Hsien-yao submitted a resolution last week in a session of the legislature's Foreign and Defense Committee urging Malaysia to restore visa-free treatment in two months.

Otherwise, they said, they would propose canceling visa-free privileges to Malaysian visitors in the next legislative session. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan's Schengen visa waiver to take effect Jan. 11: EETO

Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) The visa waiver privilege for Taiwan passport holders to the Schengen Area and three European Union (EU) member states will take effect Jan. 11, 2011, the EU's representative office in Taiwan said Wednesday.

The decision to lift visa requirements for Taiwan citizens will be published in the Dec. 22 issue of the Official Journal of the EU and will take effect 20 days from that date, said Guy Ledoux, head of the European Economic and Trade Office (EETO) in Taipei.

"We finally know the first day that Taiwan visitors will be able to visit Europe without a visa," he said. "That will be the 11th of January next year."

He said that an expected rise in the number of Taiwanese visitors to the EU signals a need to increase the number of flights between Taiwan and the EU -- the world's largest economy with 500 million inhabitants.

The visa waiver allows Taiwanese travelers to enter countries covered under the exemption for stays of up to 90 days within a six-month period.

The exemption applies to 25 Schengen Area countries, comprising 22 EU member states and three non-EU states -- Norway, Iceland and Switzerland -- and three non-Schengen EU member states -- Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus.

It also includes seven smaller European countries and territories -- the Vatican, Monaco, Andorra, Liechtenstein, San Marino, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.

Ledoux announced the start date of the visa waiver at the launch of a comic journal, which coincided with the publication of Taiwan's visa exemption in the Official Journal of the EU.

The comic journal was published by Taiwanese cartoonist Wan Wan, who was named Goodwill Ambassador to the EU and was invited by the EETO to visit seven European countries from June 16 to July 5 this year on a 20-day tour. The journal is a humorous account of her trip. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc

MOFA helping stranded Taiwanese travelers in Europe

Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday that Taiwan's representative offices in Europe are doing their best to help Taiwanese travelers stranded around the northern part of the continent due to bad weather.

The ministry confirmed that as of Tuesday morning, more than 100 Taiwanese tourists were stranded in Cologne, Vienna and London after heavy snow caused the cancellation and delay of flights across the European continent.

With the help of Taiwan's representative office, 73 Taiwanese tourists received a temporary visa or a Schengen visa exemption from the immigration office in Vienna, MOFA spokesman James Chang said.

Another group of 54 travelers on a China Airlines flight had arrived in London after previously being kept in Cologne, where the tourists received a group Schengen visa so they could leave the airport during their stay.

Dozens of Taiwanese travelers were also still in London waiting for Heathrow and Gatwick airports to open, Chang said.

The MOFA believed there were other Taiwanese travelers facing problems in Europe, and the Department of European Affairs was still gathering information on their situations, Chang said.

The ministry had a similar experience in helping more than 1,900 Taiwanese travelers get to their destination or apply for temporary travel documents in April, when a volcanic eruption in Iceland disrupted thousands of flights around Europe, Chang said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan eyeing U.S. visa-free entry in 2011: representative

Taipei, Dec. 15 (CNA) Taiwan is seeking to be considered eligible for visa-free entry to the United States for its citizens in 2011, Taiwan's representative to the U.S. said Wednesday.

"The signing of three agreements on the exchange of information on stolen or counterfeit passports; the exchange of information on terrorists; and collaboration on combating crime will be crucial for Taiwan to be placed on the visa-waiver program (VWP) roadmap, " Jason Yuan said during a session of the Legislative Yuan's Foreign and Defense Committee.

With the extensive personnel flow between Taiwan and the U.S., the inclusion in the VWP became a priority after Taiwan was granted visa-free privileges for the Schengen Area of Europe last month.

There are three key factors in terms of Taiwan's VWP inclusion -- visa refusal rates, cases of overstay and a passport application and issuance procedure that requires travelers to apply in person, Yuan said.

Taiwan's U.S. visa refusal rate for fiscal 2010 was 2.2 percent, much lower than the minimum requirement of 3 percent, and few cases of Taiwanese overstays were recorded, Yuan said, adding that new procedures will be tested in Taiwan requiring visa applicants to complete their passport applications in person, starting March 1, 2011.

The signing of the three agreements will also improve Taiwan's chances of satisfying the three factors, according to U.S. recommendations in a meeting between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Taiwan's Office of Homeland Security under the Executive Yuan, which took place recently in Washington, Yuan said.

Also speaking at the legislative committee meeting, Deputy Foreign Minister Shen Lyu-hsun reaffirmed that Taiwan intends to be a candidacy country of the VWP in 2011.

The visa-waiver drive, under which 96 countries or regions in the world now grant Taiwan visa exemptions, is part of Taiwan's commemoration of next year's 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China. (By Chris Wang) ENDITEM/J

Taiwan lists TEM, visa-waivers as priorities in Europe in 2011

Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) Taiwan hopes to take an initial step toward signing a Trade Enhancement Measures (TEM) deal with the European Union (EU) and secure more visa-exemptions in the region next year, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official in charge of European affairs said Tuesday.

Negotiating TEM and pushing for visa waivers from 24 European countries or territories were the priorities on the country's European affairs agenda for 2011, James Lee, director-general of the ministry's Department of European Affairs, said at a regular press briefing.

Taiwan already secured a breakthrough in Europe on Nov. 25 when the Council of the European Union approved visa exemptions for Taiwanese citizens in 35 European countries, including the 25 in the Schengen Area. The new visa-waivers will take effect in January 2011.

Lee said Taiwan will now turn to six Balkan countries -- Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia -- and 18 British and French overseas territories, such as Tahiti in French Polynesia, to push for visa exemptions.

As for the Trade Enhancement Measures, Lee said negotiating them was a natural priority after Taiwan signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with China in June, because the EU is Taiwan's fourth largest trade partner.

"We would like to take the first step of a feasibility study (for a TEM) next year. After that a joint study," Lee said.

The European Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (ECCT) has actively urged the EU to initiate talks with Taiwan on the trade liberalization measures, according to Lee.

Taiwan's government has been in regular contact with the EU on the issue and has advocated a "block-building" approach to lowering Taiwan-EU trade barriers if a package deal were not plausible, he said.

An inter-agency task force consisting of the MOFA and the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has been established to work on Taiwan-EU trade liberalization issues, he added.

"We think that more urgent issues, such as investment, tariffs and standards, could be negotiated in separate agreements to benefit Taiwanese and European businesses, " he said.

Lee was not optimistic that negotiations on the issues could begin immediately, however, because the EU is engaged in free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations with South Korea, India and Brazil, and he was not sure the EU would have other teams to work with Taiwan on the TEM.

That is why the possibility of doing separate and then joint feasibility studies were more realistic goals in 2011, Lee said.

Looking back at 2010, Lee listed the passage of visa exemptions in the Schengen Area as one of Taiwan's biggest accomplishments last year. Taiwan also signed a new aviation agreement with the United Kingdom and a double taxation avoidance agreement with Hungary. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

Taiwan-Canada working holiday quota raised to 1,000: CTOT

Taipei, Dec. 7 (CNA) More Taiwanese will be able to take a working holiday in Canada in 2011 after Canada raised the quota for Taiwanese participation in the program from 700 to 1,000, the Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) said in a statement Tuesday.

"The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei is pleased to announce that we have increased our quota for the 2011 International Experience Canada initiative to 1,000 for Taiwan, " the office said.

Taiwan and Canada signed an agreement earlier this year to launch the working holiday program on July 1. Under the program, people aged 18-35 from the two countries are allowed to travel and work in each other's territory for up to one year.

The original annual quota of 200 was raised to 700 on July 27 because of an enthusiastic response from local youth.

The CTOT said it will be accepting applications for the program postmarked on or after Jan. 10, 2011.

Taiwan has signed working holiday agreements with six countries -- Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Germany and Japan. (By Chris Wang) enditem/ls

MOFA raises travel alert for South Korea

Taipei, Nov. 29 (CNA) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday raised its travel alert level for South Korea and five islands near the maritime border between the two Koreas in the Yellow Sea over concerns of escalated tensions in the region.

The travel alert for the islands of Yeonpyeong -- twice shelled by North Korean artillery in the past week -- Daecheong, Socheong, Baengnyeong and U islands has been elevated to red, the highest level in the MOFA's four-color system, the ministry said in a press release.

The five islands are located near the Northern Limit Line, a disputed western maritime border shared by North and South Korea.

The travel alert for other regions of South Korea was raised from gray to yellow, the second lowest level, the MOFA said.

The ministry said the adjustment of the alert level was aimed at protecting the safety of Taiwanese tourists in the region because of rising tensions due to the North Korean shelling and an ongoing South Korea-United States joint military exercise.

Premier Wu Den-yih said on Nov. 24 that the government did not have any plans at that time to evacuate Taiwanese expatriates from South Korea because of the Korean Peninsula flare-up. (By Chris Wang) Enditem/ls