Taiwan's weather bureau on Thursday warned the island to take precautions for Typhoon Sinlaku which was approaching with an increasing intensity.

The bureau said the possibility of Sinlaku's landing on the island over the weekend could not be ruled out, and if it did, heavy damage was expected.

In Taipei, the sunny morning on Thursday gave way to sudden heavy rain at noon, but it cleared soon. However, intermittent heavy rain fell again before dusk. Other areas of the northern part of the island have also reported heavy rain.

Precaution measures are being taken throughout Taiwan. In Kaohsiung, police on Thursday suspended issuance of permits for mountaineers and notified those already in the mountains to climb down or seek shelters as soon as possible.

The Hualian County disaster prevention center has upgraded the disaster prevention level, and is controlling shipping and coastal sightseeing in areas that might be in danger.

The Taidong County government has also stepped up disaster prevention publicity and has ordered coastal patrols to ask ships to return to harbor or leave the danger area.

(Xinhua News Agency September 12, 2008)