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Premier calls on Beijing to be `honest' about bird-flu

A worker guides ducks at a market in Taipei yesterday. Taipei City banned the public from feeding pigeons in city parks as it cranked up its flu prevention measures. PHOTO: SAM YEH, AFP

Premier Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) yesterday urged the Beijing government to report honestly on the bird-flu outbreak in China.

As of press time, Hunan Province had been confirmed as an infected province. The premier urged the Chinese government to be truthful, but said the government would not ask the public to stop traveling to China.

over-react

"China is a big country. An infection in one province does not necessarily mean that bird flu will be detected in other places. We do not have to over-react," Hsieh said.

In addition to urging Beijing to be truthful, the premier also encouraged Chinese officials to give more details about avian flu so preventative measures could be developed.

The premier said that the flu was able to be transmitted between humans, the situation would become more complicated and would become a universal problem.

If that was the case, China would be responsible for reporting it to the World Health Organization (WHO) so that WHO experts could help to address the problem.

The premier also suggested that Taiwan's popular pigeon races should be limited.

"There are a lot of opportunities for people to have direct contact with pigeons during activities like this. During this season when there is a potential for an outbreak of bird flu, we cannot be too careful, can we?" he said.

However, even though the premier "suggested" banning pigeon races, it cannot be carried out at the moment, because there are no laws regulating the activity.

Meanwhile, the Taipei City Government yesterday tightened its bird-flu prevention measures by barring people from feeding pigeons in Taipei parks and closing the bird park in Taipei Zoo.

fines

Under a Taipei City Government decree, those who are caught feeding pigeons in Taipei parks and in city squares will be fined NT$5,000-300,000 (US$50-9,000).

The city government is also monitoring 400 Taipei families that raise pigeons, and has threatened to fine them if they contaminate their surroundings.

The Taipei Zoo has also temporarily closed its bird park to prevent visitors from catching avian flu from the birds.
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