11-25-2005

台灣總統譴責中國宗教政策 (Taiwan President Denounces China's Religion Policy)

陳水扁指責中國繼續拘押和逮捕不在政府控制的教會從事宗教活動的人。陳水扁星期五在台北發表上述評論之前會晤了來訪的羅馬天主教會的高級官員。

陳水扁對樞機主教讓.路易.圖蘭說，台灣在民主、人權、自由以及和平等方面所持的價值觀與教廷有許多相似之處。陳水扁說，他希望台灣可以“永遠”和教廷保持關係。

這位樞機主教訪問台灣加重了人們的猜測，一些猜測認為，羅馬天主教教會不久可能斷絕跟台灣的關係，恢復與中國的正式外交關係。

Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian has denounced what he calls China's long-term religious repression.

Mr. Chen accused China of continuing to detain and arrest people who practice their faith outside government-controlled churches. His remarks in Taipei Friday followed a meeting with a visiting senior official of the Roman Catholic Church.

Turning to Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, Mr. Chen said Taiwan and the Vatican share many of the same values, on democracy, human rights, freedom and peace. The president said he hopes Taiwan can maintain its relations with the church "forever."

The cardinal's visit has heightened speculation that the church may soon cut its ties with Taiwan and re-establish formal diplomatic relations with China.

中國哈爾濱市居民忍受連續三天斷水 (China's Harbin City Endures Third Day Without Water)

中國東北最大城市之一的哈爾濱市的幾百萬居民已經連續3天斷水，因為幾天前有大約100噸有毒化學物質苯流入松花江。

中國的新華社報導說，到星期五早晨為止，松花江的苯含量仍然高出國家安全標準28倍。

星期四，長達80公里的被化學物質苯污染的水流開始進入哈爾濱市供水系統的取水河段。專家說，哈爾濱地區的江水要到星期六才能乾淨。

當局警告人們遠離江水中升起的含有苯的氣體。

另一方面，中國最大的石油公司(中國石油天然氣集團公司)屬下的石化公司為11月13日化工廠爆炸事件表示道歉，那次爆炸導致癌物質苯流入松花江上游的吉林市河段。

Millions of residents of Harbin, one of northeast China's largest cities, are enduring their third day without water after about 100-tons of a toxic chemical were released into a river.

China's official Xinhua news agency says that, as of early Friday, the level of chemicals in the Songhua River remained 28-times above national safety standards.

Thursday, the leading edge of an 80-kilometer long slick of benzene reached Harbin's municipal water inlets. Experts say it will be sometime Saturday before the river flows clean again in Harbin.

Authorities are warning people to avoid the benzene fumes rising from the river.

Meanwhile, Petrechemical Corporation, a subsidiary of China's largest oil producer, (China National Petroleum Corporation) has apologized for the chemical plant explosion November 13th that spilled the cancer-causing pollutants upstream in Jilin City.