■ Politics
Ma denies museum rumors
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) chairman-elect and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday dismissed local reports that the Taipei City Government was planning to use the party's Taipei headquarters to house a "Taipei City Museum." According to the head of the Taipei City Government's metropolitan development bureau, Hsu Chih-chien (許志堅), a meeting was held on Tuesday to discuss possible locations for a new city museum. Although different venues were discussed, the KMT's headquarters was not mentioned as one of the options, he said. If the Taipei City Government decided to use the KMT headquarters for its city museum, it would need to negotiate with the party on whether to buy the property, which could be advantageous for the KMT, which is said to be facing financial problems.
■ Diplomacy
Foreign officials to visit
Officials in charge of economic development from eight of the nation's diplomatic allies in Central and South America will visit Taiwan to attend a month-long workshop on the country's experience in economic development and planning scheduled to start on Monday, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said yesterday. The Latin American officials will learn about Taiwan's economic development and planning by attending over 20 classes to be given by local economics officials and experts at the Grand Hotel in Taipei and via field trips to related locations and venues, said Chen Cheng-chung (陳正忠), secretary-general of the International Cooperation and Development Fund, a MOFA operation.
■ Labor
Most choose new pensions
More than 2 million workers have chosen to change to the revised pension system, while more than 1 million prefer the old system, initial tallies compiled by the Council for Labor Affairs show. Under the old system, a worker must work for the same employer for 15 consecutive years and reach the age of 55, or for 25 consecutive years, to be eligible for a retirement pension. If a worker were to quit before he met one of the two conditions, he or she would get nothing. Under the new system, a worker's employer must deposit an amount equal to at least 6 percent of the employee's salary into his pension account, which he or she can "carry around" when moving to a new company.
■ Politics
KMT wants new blood
Six young newly-elected Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) national delegates yesterday appealed to party chairman-elect and Taipei Mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) to let delegates directly elect Central Standing Committee members during the upcoming National Congress. Currently, the 31 members are elected by the Central Committee members. During the party's National Congress, scheduled for Aug. 19 and 20, Ma is to take the oath of office and the more than 1,000 newly-elected party delegates will elect 210 Central Committee members, who will then elect 31 Central Standing Committee members. In addition to saving time and money as well as narrowing the gap between management and grass-roots supporters, the young delegates yesterday said that the direct election would inject younger blood to the committee.
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