The number of prison and jail inmates with AIDS has soared to a record high and correctional authorities in Tainan County are finding it increasingly challenging to accommodate the special needs of these prisoners.
As of March 31, the number of inmates with AIDS in Tainan Prison shot up to 20, up from only four last December, the largest number of AIDS patients behind bars in the country, authorities said. The Tainan Detention Center has the second-largest number of inmates with AIDS -- 14.
The 16 new prison inmates with AIDS -- mostly drug abusers -- pose a challenge to prison authorities in terms of medical requirements and management of their daily lives.
When there were only four such inmates, they each had their own cells. Now, the 20 inmates are housed together in five cells.
The time for inmates with AIDS to go out for fresh air or to exercise must be different from those of other prisoners, the officials said, adding that the inmates with AIDS are also prohibited from taking part in workshop activities.
Since the prison has only basic medical and health facilities, when the inmates with AIDS need medical attention they have to be sent to an outside hospital accompanied by prison officials.
Officials say the increasing numbers of inmates with AIDS have also raised the question of whether psychological specialists should be hired to provide counseling to these inmates to prevent them from becoming "time bombs" who could endanger other inmates.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard