The Taiwan Red Cross yesterday received two donations for Trop-ical Storm Mindulle relief efforts. The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) presented the Red Cross with US$50,000 (NT$1,690,000), while Tai Shin Holding Corp contributed NT$2.5 million.
"The money donated is significant, but the thoughts and the care expressed by the American people are worth much more to us," Taiwan Red Cross president Chen Chang-wen (陳長文) said in accepting the donation from AIT director Douglas Paal. "We at the Red Cross will make the best use of the money and mitigate the suffering of typhoon victims as soon as possible."
The AIT donation was funded by the US Agency for International Development. Because of Taiwan's relatively advanced degree of national development, US$50,000 was the highest donation possible for a natural disaster, Red Cross secretary-general Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) said.
PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES
The Red Cross was one of three non-governmental disaster-aid agencies to receive a donation from Tai Shin. A total of NT$10 million was dedicated to relief efforts by the corporation, of which NT$5 million was presented to the Ministry of the Interior in a low-key ceremony yesterday morning.
"We made the decision quickly," Tai Shin chief executive officer Chen Huai-chou (
Chen added that the Tai Shin representatives in areas affected by the storm would work to alleviate the financial burden facing local clients.
"According to our volunteers in the central regions, the destructive power of this typhoon was almost as strong as the 921 earthquake [in 1999]," Hau said.
"We encourage companies to contribute to the rebuilding process," Hau said. He said domestic donations amounted to NT$20 million, compared with NT$600 million for the 921 earthquake.
Red Cross secretary Yin Shaiw-chen (
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