■ TB rate causes concern
A medical researcher noted yesterday that the number of people dying from tuberculosis in Taiwan is 20 times the figure in the US, which he said proved that the quality of the nation's medical services needed to be improved. Wen Chi-pang (溫啟邦), a fellow at the Health Policy Research Division of the National Health Research Institute, made the remarks in his thesis presented at a conference promoting improvements to medical services. Wen said the number of people dying from tuberculosis had decreased in the last 10 years thanks to improvements in medical technology. Taipei City registered the lowest rate in 2002, with Taitung County registering the highest rate, at five times Taipei's level. The rate in mountainous areas was 126 times higher than the US rate.
■ Crime
Hotline for kidnap hoaxes
The education ministry has decided to set up emergency hotlines for parents to report attempts of extortion through hoax kidnappings of students, a radio station reported yesterday. The education ministry issued the order because criminals were making phone calls to students' parents, claiming they had kidnapped their children and would kill them unless the parents paid them off, the Broadcasting Corporation of China said. Some parents had taken the threats seriously and followed the instructions, sending money to the criminals' bank accounts, only to find out later that their children were safe in school. Some schools had established hotlines even before the ministry's order, the report said.
■ Crime
Campaign targets fraud
Heads of law enforcement and prosecuting agencies will meet tomorrow to figure out more effective ways to fight rampant fraud. The meeting was decided upon following an announcement by Minister of Justice Chen Ding-nan (陳定南) on Friday that he was declaring an all-out war against gangs conspiring to defraud the community. Top officials from different government departments, including incoming National Police Administration Director-General Hsieh Yin-tang (謝銀黨), will attend the meeting. Increasing numbers of people, including the minister himself, have fallen victim to crimes of fraud, including credit-card fraud and elaborate ATM card scams.
■ Diplomacy
Officials meet EBRD head
A delegation headed by Tien Hung-mao (田弘茂), Taiwan's representative to London, met with Jean Lemierre, president of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), yesterday to discuss ways of promoting bilateral cooperation. The Taiwan delegation, consisting of financial officials and diplomats, will also attend the 13th annual meeting of the EBRD in London today and tomorrow, including its Board of Governors' meeting, business forum and donors' meeting. Tien said before the meeting that Taiwan shared the EBRD's aim of promoting democracy and the market economy, and that he looked forward to closer cooperation with the EBRD. Founded in 1991 following the collapse of communism in eastern and central Europe, the EBRD has promoted investment as a means of developing market economies and democracies in 27 countries from central Europe to central Asia. Taiwanese officials opened an office with the EBRD in February.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
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