 C00386417
 *** Document 292 of 54 _ r FBIS ***
 DOCN 000408973
 CLAS UNCLAS 1L
 SERI SERIAL:   oW0712101693
 COUN COUNTRY: PRC
 SUBJ*SUBJ:     TAIWAN, MAINLAND UFO SYMPOSIUM CLOSES IN BEIJING
 SOUR SOURCE:   BEIJING XINHUA IN ENGLISH 0836 GMT '7 DEC 93
 TEXT TEXT:
 *    //(("UFOS GALORE ACROSS TAIWAN STRAITS" -- XINHUA HEADLINE))
 ((TEXT)) BEIJING, DECEMBER 7 (XINHUA) -- NEARLY 6,000 SIGHTINGS
 *OF UNIDENTIFIED FLYING OBJECTS (UFOS) ACROSS THE TAIWAN STRAITS HAVE
 BEEN REPORTED, SAID EXPERTS FROM THE CHINESE MAINLAND AND TAIWAN
 HERE TODAY.   SOME HAVE DEFIED RATIONAL EXPLANATION.
 *    WANG CHANGTING, CHAIRMAN OF THE CHINA UFO RESEARCH ORGANIZATION
 (CURO), SAID THAT MORE THAN 5,000 SIGHTINGS HAVE BEEN REPORTED FROM
 THE-MAINLAND, AND SEVERAL HUNDREDS IN TAIWAN.
 *    RESEARCHERS AT A THREE-DAY SYMPOSIUM ON UFOS, WHICH CLOSED HERE
 TODAY,  SAID THAT SOME OF THE SIGHTINGS CANNOT. BE EXPLAINED BY
 GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OR CURRENT SCIENTIFIC FINDINGS.
 THE MEETING WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND ATTENDED BOTH BY TAIWAN AND
 MAINLAND RESEARCHERS.
 *    THEY SAID THAT PEOPLE WHO HAD SEEN THE UFOS INCLUDED ASTRONOMICAL
 OBSERVATORY WORKERS AS.WELL AS CIVIL AND MILITARY PILOTS.
 *    CHINA DECIDED LAST YEAR TO STAGE A'WORLD UFO CONFERENCE IN 1993.
 THE PLAN FELL THROUGH BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENT' PREPARATION.
 BUT WANG SAID. THAT THE CROSS-STRAITS MEETING WAS A CONTINUATION
 OF THE SEARCH FOR LIFE FORMS FROM OTHER SOLAR SYSTEMS -- ONE OF THE
 THEMES OF THE "1992 INTERNATIONAL SPACE YEAR".
 ABOUT 50 RESEARCHERS AT THE SYMPOSIUM DISCUSSED THE REAL NATURE
 .*OF UFOS, WITH. SOME OF THEM BELIEVING THEY CAME FROM REMOTE GALAXIES
 AND OTHERS SAYING THEY WERE NATURAL PHENOMENA OR ARTIFICIAL OBJECTS,
 SUCH AS LIGHTNING BOLTS, OR BALLOONS OR MAN-MADE SATELLITES.
 *    THE FIRST REPORT OF A UFO, ALSO KNOWN AS FLYING SAUCERS, CAME
 FROM THE UNITED STATES IN 1947.   IT BECAME A WIDESPREAD TOPIC IN
 TAIWAN IN THE 1960S, AND ON THE MAINLAND IN THE LATE 1970S.
 THE LATEST SIGHTING WAS ON AUGUST 7 THIS YEAR, WHEN.PEOPLE FOUND
 TWO RIM-LINKED HAT-LIKE OBJECTS SOARING OVER TAIPEI INTERNATIONAL
 AIRPORT FOR 15 MINUTES, MEDIA REPORTED.
 THERE HAVE NOW BEEN 400,000 REPORTS OF SIGHTINGS WORLDWIDE.   IN
 1978 THE UNITED NATIONS CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENTS OF ALL COUNTRIES
 *TO BE ON FULL ALERT FOR SIGHTINGS AND TO ESTABLISH UFO INVESTIGATION
 BODIES.
 *    THE MAINLAND SET UP ITS OWN.UFO INVESTIGATION BODY, CURO,'IN
 1978, WHICH IS NOW A MEMBER OF THE CHINESE GOVERNMENT-SUPPORTED
 CHINA ASSOCIATION FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY.
 CURO HAS 3,600 MEMBERS AND MILLIONS OF FANS NATIONWIDE.
 *    TAIWAN'S UFO RESEARCH BEGAN IN 1973.
 (ENDALL) 070836x990712.008 S 07/1019Z DEC
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