■ Transport
Taxi fares get holiday hike
Taxi fares will increase during the Lunar New Year in the greater Taipei area, an official from the Taipei City Transportation Bureau said yesterday. He said that during the period from Jan. 19 to Jan. 26, the regular "night rate" will be charged all day, and a surcharge of NT$20 will be added from 11pm to 6am. The Chinese Lunar New Year falls on Jan. 22 this year. Regular rates will resume after midnight on Jan. 26.
■ Education
Taiwanese class to start
A language class will open on Friday in Shihlin in Taipei to teach foreigners Hoklo, commonly referred to as Taiwanese, Lin Ching (林菁), director of the Shihlin District Office said yesterday. The two-hour class will begin at 9:30am each Friday at the Service Center for Foreigners in the Shihlin Administrative Center. Currently, a number of people from Paraguay, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and other countries are attending a Mandarin class sponsored by the Shihlin District Office, he said. Those who are interested in learning Taiwanese may contact Miss Chen at 2882-6200, ext. 8707.
■ Courts
Japanese wins payout
A Japanese engineer has been awarded NT$930,000 in compensation for injuries he suffered in a traffic accident in Taipei three years ago, the Taipei District Court said yesterday. Hideyuki Asada, who was hired by an agency to work at a power plant run by Formosa Plastics Group in Yunlin County, was hit by a taxi in downtown Taipei in January 2001. Asada said in his suit that he sustained serious injuries to his right leg in the accident. He received surgery at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei and at a clinic in Osaka, Japan. He couldn't return to work until May 2001. During the four-month recuperation period, Asada said, he didn't get any pay and had to rely on other people's aid in daily life. He asked for damage compensation as he had endured enormous physical pain during surgery and his rehabilitation.
■ Politics
Chen offers apology
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) apologized yesterday for a comment made by a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmaker who claimed Taiwanese have the right to rape Chinese women if China can aim missiles at Taiwan. "We deeply and sincerely apologize to the public over the inappropriate statement by our comrade Hou Shui-sheng (侯水盛)," Chen said in his capacity as chairman of the DPP. "The comment not only has seriously affected the image of our party, but also set a bad example to the public," said Chen. The apology came after condemnation yesterday by local women's groups and female lawmakers over the metaphor made by Hou in a legislative session on Monday. During the session, Hou said Beijing's policy of aiming 496 missiles at Taiwan, was equal to Taiwanese believing they had the right to rape Chinese women.
■ New Caledonia
Fishing captain jailed
A Taiwanese fishing captain yesterday was sentenced to six months in prison in Noumea, the capital of the French territory of New Caledonia, for illegal fishing, court officials said. Weng Chang-lin's vessel Shang Sheng, which also had 13 Chinese crew on board, rammed a patrol boat after being intercepted in the territory's waters on Nov. 29. Ten tonnes of tuna and shark was discovered in the hold. Weng was also fined more than 150,000 euros (US$190,000) by Noumea's criminal court. He has 10 days to appeal.
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