President Chen Shui-bian (
"One should replace multifarious governmental formalities with an active and constructive manner" to assist disaster victims, Chen said during a visit in Nantou County to inspect rebuilding work.
PHOTO: LIU HSIN-TEH, TAIPEI TIMES
Nantou County was among the areas most damaged on July 2, when floods and mudslides de-stroyed homes and bridges.
In response to disaster-area township wardens' complaints about the slow flow of aid from county governments, Chen said local government chiefs ought to communicate with the central government about disaster relief coordination.
The central government could undertake face-to-face communication with relevant agencies about disaster relief and rebuilding work in order to avoid delays in handling official documents, Chen said. The president also called for more ecological engineering.
Chen's trip also included a visit to congratulate the parents of Yuan Shu-chi (袁叔琪), a member of the nation's Olympic archery team. Although Yuan came in fourth in the individual competition, missing third place by one point, she and two teammates beat France on Friday to gain a bronze medal.
Later yesterday, Chen attended a Taipei performance by the internationally acclaimed Cloud Gate 2 (雲門舞集2) modern dance troupe.
The performance was part of a series of activities organized by the Presidential Office to promote young viewers' appreciation of diverse cultures.
Chen encouraged the nation's young adults to "care for oneself and appreciate others."
Chen was invited to go onstage with the dancers and seemed to enjoy his literally offbeat performance, as did the audience.
Other events scheduled for upcoming weekends include a traditional Taiwanese puppet show, Beijing opera and comic dialogue (相聲). Presidential Office deputy secretary-general James Huang (黃志芳) said that Chen would try to appear at several more of these events if his official schedule allows.
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
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
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
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