■Politics
Chen calls for clean polls
Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) yesterday urged candidates to abide by the law. Noting that two city councilmen running for re-election in Kaohsiung have already been taken into custody for trying to buy votes, Chen said prosecutors will permit no vote-buying by any candidates. Since the elections are being held only in Taipei and Kaohsiung, Chen said prosecutors in other parts of Taiwan could help the two special municipalities when necessary. He also urged the prosecutors to do their best to shield the elections from the influence of violence.
■ International aid
Dominica given US$199,000
Taiwan provided Dominica with US$199,000 on Wednesday for human resource development, education and to purchase medical equipment, officials said. Taiwan Charge d' Affairs Daniel Liao presented Prime Minister Pierre Charles with two checks -- one for US$100,000 and another for US$99,000 -- Charles' office said. The larger check is earmarked for human resource development, including assistance to needy children, scholarships for college-bound students and training for government employees, the prime minister's office said. The smaller amount will go toward purchasing cancer detection equipment at the nation's main hospital, Princess Margaret. The money "will go a long way in assisting with the development needs of our country," Charles said. The prime minister also announced that he will visit Taiwan within the next two weeks "to speak about the economic problems of Dominica with a view to seek assistance from that country."
■ Tourism
Visitor wins tour package
The 900,000th Japanese visitor to Taiwan this year was awarded a free four-day, three-night tour package yesterday as part of Taiwan's efforts to promote its recession-hit tourist industry. Noritaka Umaba arrived at CKS International Airport Wednesday night, becoming the 900,000th Japanese national to visit so far this year. The Taiwan Travelers Association presented the tour package, worth ?500,000 (US$3,984), to Umaba. The 899,999th and 900,001st Japanese visitors were each given an overnight coupon to stay at a five-star hotel. Japan is Taiwan's largest source of foreign tourists. Due to its prolonged economic recession, however, the number of outbound Japanese travelers declined by 13 percent in the first 10 months of this year. Thanks to the promotional efforts of the Tourism Bureau and local travel associations, the number of Japanese visitors to Taiwan has increased in recent months.
■ Drugs
Police seize more heroin
Police and customs officials seized 1.4kg of heroin at CKS International Airport yesterday, bringing the volume seized over the past six days to 6.7kg, according to Aviation Police Bureau officials. Police and customs officials seized the latest haul from a 26-year-old girl who had taped the drugs to her body. Bureau officials said that the approach of the Lunar New Year holidays has led to an increase in the number of drug-smuggling cases. According to the officials, "addicts need more heroin during the Lunar New Year." The officials said that they will keep a close watch on Taiwan passengers coming from Bangkok, Phnom Penh, Hong Kong and Macau, because most of the drugs smuggled into Taiwan come from these areas.
■ Health
Condoms given away at CKS
A Department of Health official distributed condoms at CKS International Airport yesterday to outbound Taiwanese to highlight an AIDS prevention campaign. Center for Disease Control Director-General Chen Tsai-ching (陳再晉) and other volunteers showed up at the departure lobby to remind people about safe sex behavior. Chen said that, as of the end of November, there were a total of 4,286 reported AIDS cases and 800 of those people had died. The majority of those who died were under the age of 50. Chen said China is also facing a crisis, with the official number of reported AIDS cases at 600,000 -- well below the UN estimate of 1.5 million. The UN has predicted that the number of Chinese cases will reach 10 million in eight years. He said the CDC will cooperate with a clinic at CKS airport so that tourists can get an AIDS screening test as soon as they arrive.
■ Science
Ho inducted into academy
Taiwan-born scientist Winston Ho (何文壽) has been inducted into the US National Academy of Engineering for his research into new membranes and materials for separations. Ho, an Ohio State University professor, said membrane separation technology can be used in many areas, including water purification, oil refining, air pollution reduction and fuel cell manufacturing. After graduating from the chemical engineering department of National Taiwan University in 1966, Ho earned his doctorate from the University of Illinois in 1971. He worked in private industry for many years before returning to academia. Ho has been awarded 50 US patents and received many honors for his contributions in new membranes research.
Agencies
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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POOR PREPARATION: Cultures can form on food that is out of refrigeration for too long and cooking does not reliably neutralize their toxins, an epidemiologist said Medical professionals yesterday said that suspected food poisoning deaths revolving around a restaurant at Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 Store in Taipei could have been caused by one of several types of bacterium. Ho Mei-shang (何美鄉), an epidemiologist at Academia Sinica’s Institute of Biomedical Sciences, wrote on Facebook that the death of a 39-year-old customer of the restaurant suggests the toxin involved was either “highly potent or present in massive large quantities.” People who ate at the restaurant showed symptoms within hours of consuming the food, suggesting that the poisoning resulted from contamination by a toxin and not infection of the