■Politics
Lawmakers condemn HK bill
A statement issued by all parties at the Legislative Yuan yesterday voiced support for Hong Kong residents' protest against their government's proposed anti-subversion bill. "Members of four parties' caucuses and the independent alliance at Legislative Yuan express support for the people of Hong Kong who strive to safeguard their civil liberties and human rights by opposing to the planned anti-subversion bill. The legislature also condemns the governments of Hong Kong and China for attempting to infringe an international freedom of human rights," said Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平). "The proposed legislation had violated universal value of human rights," Wang said.
■ Travel
Officials to lift restrictions
The government has decided to lift travel restrictions for travelers from Canada, Hong Kong and China as the World Health Organization (WHO) has removed these places from its list of areas with local transmission of SARS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday. The country will return to pre-SARS entry requirements and lift entry-related restrictions and quarantine requirements for travelers from these regions effective today, the ministry said. The Canadian Trade Office in Taipei (CTOT) issued a press release yesterday welcoming the decision. "Canadian citizens may now obtain a landing visa upon entry to Taiwan, as per Taiwan's practice prior to SARS," the press release said. "Enhanced screening measures for travellers arriving in Canadian airports will continue, irrespective of the nationality of the traveler."
■ Technology
Public unhappy with sites
The public's level of satisfaction with government Web sites has declined this year mainly because the service and information offered is insufficient, according to the results of a survey released yesterday. The survey of more than 6,100 people conducted by the Ministry of Transportation and Communications showed that among the respondents who said they have visited government Web sites, 72.7 percent said they are satisfied with the sites. That is a 4.2-percent drop compared with a similar survey conducted in March 2001. As to the reasons for the dissatisfaction, 52.2 percent of the respondents said "too few services or information," 30.1 percent said up-to-date information was not provided, and 28.9 percent mentioned "poor search or inquiry functions." The survey also found that the number of people in the country who surf the Internet had reached 10 million as of March.
■ Courts
Woman drops charges
An 85-year-old grandmother yesterday agreed to drop adultery charges against her 90-year-old husband and his 80-year-old mistress out of the consideration that they all were too old to continue the court action, police said. "Of course, the agreement includes the more important condition that the husband and his mistress gave their words that they would not see each other again," said a police officer based in Hsinchu outside Taipei. The wife hired a private detective earlier this year to follow her husband, identified by his last name as Lin, after suspecting the old man might have an affair with another woman, he said. She caught Lin and his mistress on a small hotel bed after forcing her way into their room with the help of police in March this year.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese