Pompeo calls for US to boycott Beijing GamesAFP, WASHINGTONFormer US secretary of state Mike Pompeo on Friday backed calls for the US to boycott the Winter Olympics in Beijing next year, saying that China’s “nasty” activity made it an inappropriate host. “I hope that our athletes get a chance to participate in the Olympics,” Pompeo told radio host Hugh Hewitt. Separately, Qatar was still committed to bidding for the 2032 Summer Olympics, despite the IOC heading into exclusive talks with top choice, Brisbane. The Qatar Olympic Committee on Friday “reiterated its total commitment to maintaining continuous dialogue” with an IOC-appointed panel, which can have ongoing talks — and even approach — likely candidates for any future Games. Doha applied to enter two previous Summer Games bidding contests, but did not progress to be accepted on the IOC’s list of candidates.

Irrigation agencies appeal to Matsu for rain in TaichungStaff writer, with CNALocal irrigation agencies plan to turn to sea goddess Matsu (媽祖) for help resolving a drought, in a collaboration with one of Taiwan’s largest Matsu temples, Jenn Lann Temple in Taichung’s Dajia District (大甲), the Council of Agriculture’s Irrigation Agency said yesterday. The temple is to hold a ceremony with the agencies today, and Matsu would hopefully hear people’s prayers for rain, as many believe that she has the ability to send rain after long droughts, the temple said. The ceremony would only be the fourth rain prayer ceremony held at the temple since its founding in 1730, it said. About one hour after the 1963 ceremony, rain started to fall, and it is hopeful that Matsu would also help reserve this year’s drought, it said. The belief in Matsu as benevolent protector of all people was brought to Taiwan by Ming Dynasty settlers.

She wasn’t the only one; for decades few dared to speak of the 228 Incident of 1947, an anti-government uprising that was violently suppressed. As wife of the famous painter Chen Cheng-po (陳澄波), Chang is one of the better known widows of the 228 Incident, and not just because of her husband’s name. Hsu Chiang-chun, seated left, attends a 228 Incident event in 2004. There’s no use being angry, but I just can’t forget.”Chen Cheng-po painted My Family 16 years before he was killed in the weeks following the 228 Incident. TRAGEDY STRIKESShen first noticed the lack of female voices regarding the 228 Incident around 1991 while collecting and editing oral histories in Yilan County.

CECC reports nation’s 10th virus deathSOLEMN MILESTONE: The Taiwanese man, in his 60s, had a history of diabetes and hypertension, and had developed severe pneumonia from COVID-19, officials saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported seven imported cases of COVID-19 and the death of a person who had the virus, bringing the nation’s toll from the disease to 10. 935, a Taiwanese man in his 60s, who had a history of diabetes and hypertension, died on Friday, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center. Central Epidemic Command Center specialist advisory panel convener Chang Shan-chwen in Taipei yesterday explains details of the nation’s COVID-19 case No. 935, a Taiwanese man in his 60s who died of COVID-19 on Friday. The CECC would still conduct contact tracing on the new case, and four close contacts have already been identified, he said.

Longci Light Festival proves feasibility of for-profit public events, Tainan saysBy Wu Chun-feng and Jonathan Chin / Staff reporter, with staff writerTaiwan’s first-ever for-profit light festival organized by a local government last month netted a profit of NT$6.19 million (US$218,914) from the sale of 168,321 tickets, the Tainan City Government said in a news release on Monday. An installation at the Longci Light Festival in Tainan is pictured on Monday. The bureau’s statistics showed that the district benefited economically from the festival, Chen said. “The popularity of the festival shows that people are increasingly accepting that they should pay to attend art and culture events,” Chen said. The next Longci Light Festival would open in December, the bureau said.

Guam starts new group to focus on Taiwanese tourismStaff writer, with CNAThe Guam Visitors Bureau is to decouple its Taiwan business from China, by establishing a Taiwan marketing committee, with its budget for targeting Taiwanese tourists expected to double, Representative to Guam Felix Yen (嚴樹芬) said yesterday. Previously, the bureau grouped Taiwan, China and Hong Kong together under its “greater China” marketing committee, but a new committee is to manage business with Taiwan independently. The committee’s establishment is aimed at deepening bilateral relations in tourism, including medical tourism, as well as economic, cultural, educational and cultural exchanges, Yen said. In Guam, the number of Taiwanese tourists ranks No. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Guam was reopened in July last year after its operation was suspended in 2017 due to budgetary and personnel assignment issues.

Legislative hearing looks at unlicensed camp sitesUNTANGLED: Camp sites, which fall under the jurisdiction of several government agencies, should be governed by the education and transport ministries, attendants agreedBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterEnforcement of new camping measures and a need to clarify overlapping governmental jurisdictions were among the recommendations made by tour operators and lawmakers on Thursday at a public hearing on domestic tourism at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei. There are 1,985 camp sites nationwide, but only 166, or less than 10 percent, have been granted operating licenses by a local government agency, officials said, citing Ministry of Transportation and Communications data. Noting the rising popularity of mountain climbing and hiking amid the COVID-19 pandemic, DPP Legislator Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) said that the ministry has the responsibility to regulate camp sites. It was agreed at the hearing that the ministry, which oversees the Tourism Bureau, should have jurisdiction over all camp sites, except for those designated for educational uses, which fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Education. Chen Ying-jung (陳盈蓉), head of the Executive Yuan’s Department of Transportation, the Environment and Natural Resources, said that a report on regulating the nation’s camp sites would be presented to Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) and other Cabinet members, who would convene to draft policies to address the issue of unlicensed camp sites.

Platform launched to aid lay judgesBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterJudicial reform advocates yesterday launched a “National Judge Information Platform” to provide guidance and assist people who become part of a proposed lay judge system. The platform has compiled case documents gathered from district courts and would add feedback from participating lay judges to add to assessments by observers and legal practitioners, Judicial Reform Foundation chairman Lin Yung-sung (林永頌) said. Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei TimesThe legislature in July last year passed the National Judge Act (國民法官法), setting 2023 as the start of citizen participation as lay judges in criminal cases, with the bench to consist of six lay and three career judges. “We opposed the lay judge system while the changes were being discussed,” Lin said. However, as the legislature has passed the act to adopt the lay judge system, the public has to go along with it, he said.

Muguruza sets up clash with AzarenkaAFP, DOHASpain’s Garbine Muguruza on Thursday defeated Greece’s Maria Sakkari 6-3, 6-1 to advance to the semi-finals of the Qatar Open where she was to face fellow former world No. “I’m happy, I felt good on court,” former Wimbledon and Roland Garros champion Muguruza said after her victory. “Every match is hard, it’s always difficult,” Muguruza said as she looked ahead to her clash with Azarenka. In the other quarter-finals, two-time Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova outfoxed Anett Kontaveit in three arduous sets, seeing off the Estonian 6-3, 3-6, 6-2. The second set threatened to derail Kvitova’s earlier momentum, with the Czech facing several service breaks.

Local vaccines could be made in July: ministerSETTING AN EXAMPLE: If the public was hesitant in taking the AstraZeneca shot, the president and health minister would volunteer to demonstrate, Chen saidStaff writer, with CNATaiwan’s domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines could start mass production in July, but only if they successfully complete ongoing clinical trials, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said yesterday. Speaking to reporters before a legislative hearing in Taipei, Chen said that Taiwanese vaccines could hopefully enter production in July at the earliest. The company received NT$1.7 million (US$60,122) in government subsidies for its phase 1 trials and was to receive another NT$300 million for its phase 2 trials. United Biomedical in late January said it would recruit 3,850 volunteers for phase 2 trials of its vaccine candidate, UB-612, a multitope protein/peptide-based vaccine. The minister’s comments came after 117,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, purchased directly from the company, arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday.

Pant’s century puts India in controlReuters, AHMEDABAD, IndiaRishabh Pant yesterday launched a spectacular late assault in his flamboyant 101 to put India in charge of the fourth and final Test against England in Ahmedabad. Sundar was batting on 60 at stumps and Axar Patel was on 11, with India 89 ahead after being 121-5 at one stage. India’s Rishabh Pant celebrates scoring a century against England on the second day of the fourth Test in Ahmedabad, India, yesterday. Photo: AFP“We were on the back foot after losing those wickets, but the partnership between Pant and Washington was very important,” India opener Rohit Sharma said. The England duo combined to end his swashbuckling innings as he swatted an Anderson delivery to Root at short-midwicket.

Su urges basketball racism probeStaff writer, with CNAPremier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday said that racial discrimination is unacceptable and urged an investigation of an incident on Saturday during a college basketball game in Taipei that sparked a heated exchange between players and prompted the Sports Administration to adopt stricter regulations. The incident occurred during a University Basketball Association game between Shih Hsin University and National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) when the “N-word” was used against Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga (阿巴西), a Senegalese Taiwanese. National Taiwan Normal University’s Lin Shih-hsuan, right, goes to the basket against Shih Hsin University’s Mohammad Al Bachir Gadiaga, center, in their University Basketball Association quarter-final in Taipei on Saturday. “He called me a n*****,” Al Bachir told the referee, after a tussle in which he took a swipe at an NTNU player. Lin after the game apologized to Al Bachir and also to Shih Hsin University.

Little did they know that it would lead to one of the bloodiest events in Taiwan’s modern history, the 228 Incident. This memorial wall to the victims of the 228 Incident can be found outside the Taipei 228 Memorial Museum. A plaque indicating the “flash point of the 228 Incident” in Chinese and English can be found slightly to the east. Taipei 228 Memorial Hall (台北228紀念館) is situated here with permanent and special exhibitions about the incident. Photo: Han Cheung, Taipei Times

KMT’s signature drives near recordDISSATISFACTION? If the referendums collect more than 700,000 signatures each, they would have gotten the most signatures in the shortest time, the party said The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) two referendum petitions — one on banning the importation of pork with traces of ractopamine and the other on holding referendums on the same day as national elections — had as of Thursday gathered 691,398 and 674,497 signatures respectively, the party said yesterday. If the petitions collect more than 700,000 signatures apiece, they would have garnered the most signatures in the shortest time since the Referendum Act (公民投票法) was amended in 2017, party officials said. The KMT proposed the “anti-ractopamine pork” or “food safety” referendum just days after President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) announcement on Aug. 28 lastBy Shih Hsiao-kuang and Jake Chung

Hand washing urged as diarrhea cases increaseMORE WARY: The rise in the number of cases has been slightly lower this year, which could be because people are practicing disease prevention measures due to COVID-19By Lee I-chia / Staff reporterPeople were urged to wash their hands more frequently after the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported an increase in the number of cases of diarrhea over the past two weeks. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) told a news conference that 138,462 cases of diarrhea were reported last week, adding that 87 clusters of diarrhea cases have been reported nationwide in the past four weeks, with 86 percent of the clusters containing 10 or fewer cases. Fifty-eight of the clusters tested positive for pathogens, with norovirus accounting for 97 percent of the cases, he said, adding that 71 percent of cases had occurred at restaurants and hotels. Centers for Disease Control Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday after the number of cases of diarrhea continued to increase last week. Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei TimesPeople often get together and enjoy meals with family and friends during the Lunar New Year holiday, so diarrhea cases often increase after the holiday, CDC physician Lin Yung-ching (林詠青) said.