Journalism English for Juniors
Below is a sample presentation. I've created it as a web page, obviously, but you can create yours in any format you wish (Word, text file, pdf, etc.)
Be sure to include the source of your story. If you found it online, give us the web site. If you copied it from a newspaper or magazine, give us the title and date of the publication. Of course, include the author(s) as well.
Found on Taipei Times on 090211 at http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2009/02/11/2003435823
Taiwan wins inclusion in UK’s visa-waiver program
By Jenny W. Hsu
Wednesday, Feb 11, 2009, Page 1
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed Taiwan’s inclusion in the UK’s six-month visa-waiver program and said the government was considering reciprocating the offer.
The UK is the 31st county to grant Taiwanese visa-free privilege. Other countries include some of Taiwan’s allies and a few non-allies such as South Korea, Singapore and Japan.
The British Trade and Cultural Office (BTCO) said yesterday that starting on March 3, Republic of China (ROC) passport holders who wish to visit the UK for less than six months for business or tourism purposes, family visits or as students and who won’t be working there will no longer require a visa.
"Britain enjoys strong commercial and cultural ties with Taiwan," BTCO’s new director David Campbell said. "Lifting the visa requirement for stays of less than six months will help to build on that to the benefit of both British and Taiwanese people."
"We believe Taiwan’s inclusion in the visa-waiver program will encourage more Taiwanese tourists to visit Britain and help promote more exchanges among the two peoples," Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) said.
The UK made the decision after it concluded that Taiwan had satisfied all the criteria required by the UK Border Agency based on a worldwide review of regime carried out in 2007 and last year.
In his farewell press conference last month, former BTCO director Michael Reilly said London’s "only real area of concern" on admitting Taiwan to the visa-waiver program was the massive migration of Chinese illegal aliens into the UK, saying such privilege could encourage the Chinese use to use ROC passports to smuggle people into the UK.
"The problem of fraudulent documentation or false documentation is a problem around the world. How we address that is to have very close links with migration authorities around the world and that certainly includes Taiwan," Campbell said, adding that the UK enjoys close and regular contacts with Taiwanese authorities and that those ties would be further cemented in the future.
Asked if London is worried that ROC passports might become an attractive tool for smuggling rings, Campbell said: "I am aware that in recent months, Taiwan has undertaken a number of developments and it is certainly a shared interest around the world to try and combat misuse of documentation."
"We are confident that with those expert contacts we have that risks such as that can be managed," he said.
Bureau of Consular Affairs Chief Lo Yu-chung (羅由中) said the announcement showed that London appreciated Taiwan’s issuance of electronic passports. Lu urged other countries to follow the UK’s lead.
BTCO said Taiwanese visiting the UK under the visa-waiver program still had to satisfy authorities at their port of entry that they meet the UK’s admission requirements and must have with them supporting documents such as return flight tickets, evidence of funding, letters from sponsors or the businesses they are visiting, or the school they plan to study at.
The BTCO received more than 28,000 visa applications last year.
Discussion questions
- Are you any more likely to visit the UK now that you don't need a visa? Why or why not?
- Which countries do you wish you could travel to without getting a visa?
- Do you have a passport?
- Now that the UK does not require Taiwanese to get a visa, do you think Taiwan should let UK citizens in without a visa? Why or why not?
- What does 'reciprocal' and 'reciprocity' mean? Do you think they are good principles for governments to follow or not? Try to give some examples. (This is a tough question, I know, but give it a shot.)
Activity: Debate
The governments of the ROC and PRC are discussing the possibility of a visa waiver program between the two countries. This would mean that people from Taiwan could visit China without a visa, and people from China could visit Taiwan without a visa.
The class will be split into two groups. One side is in favor of the program, and the other is against it. Work in small groups to create arguments to support your stand. Each group will have a chance to voice their arguments and to respond to previous arguments.
Of course, you may end up being required to support a position that you do not, in fact, agree with. Keep in mind that being able to support both sides of an argument is a highly advanced cognitive function! (That is, it means you're smart.)
