Huge amounts of illicit drugs from China can now be purchased in pharmacies and even online, Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Tseng Tsahn-deng (
Tseng said the pervasiveness of illicit drugs from China was linked to government regulations, which allow travelers returning from China to carry 12 bottles of medications for personal use.
This has opened the way for retailers to smuggle the Chinese drugs into the country and sell them, he said.
Tseng said that anyone who typed in the names of illegal drugs, such as "Sanjin Watermelon Frost" (三金桂林西瓜霜), Wuji Baifeng pills (烏雞白鳳丸) or Yunnan Baiyao (雲南白藥), on Yahoo's auction site, would see many of these drugs are listed as being up for auction.
While Taiwan's Chinese-style medicines have already established a reputation as using good manufacturing practices (GMP), those in China are still in the initial stage of being certified as such, he said.
"The medicine may have been approved by the Chinese Department of Health," Tseng said, "but there is no way to verify its quality."
Tseng criticized the Department of Health in Taiwan for being ineffective in cracking down on the illegal drug sellers.
Tseng also condemned Yahoo, saying it had not adequately monitoring its auction site, even though the company has warnings on its Web page saying it will not sell illegal drugs.
Ruu Wu (
Those auctioning the drugs had either managed to avoid being detected through various search keywords or they had uploaded the items to the auction site during the night, she said.
"We hope that buyers can also help us nail them," Wu said.
Lin I-hsin (
"Those that are not yet approved by the health department are considered as false or illicit drugs," Lin said.
Lin said that each country has the authority to determine whether a drug can be legally sold in the local market.
Drugs from China might be labeled as GMP-certified, but the department would have to verify them first before they issue the approval, Lin said.
"Taiwan has laws to regulate imported drugs," he said, "If pharmaceutical companies in China want to apply [to have the drugs exported to Taiwan], they would have to offer relevant official documents and be open to allowing health department officials inspect their factories."
Lin added that the department would not rule out opening the market to imported drugs from China.
Liao Chi-Chou (廖繼洲), director general of the Pharmaceutical Affairs Department, said that anyone caught manufacturing or importing false and illicit drugs could face a jail sentence of up to seven years or a fine of between NT$15,000 (US$454.5) and NT$5 million.
Almost every local health department in Taiwan is facing staff shortages, he said, which makes it more difficult to track down illegal drug sellers.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition