Several measures take effect today, including revised penalties for certain traffic violations, new environmental regulations and increases to electricity charges.
However, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications has decided to postpone the implementation of certain regulations until January next year, such as those providing for penalties for motorists with small children who fail to install safety seats or leave children under six years of age unattended, as well as those who make improper use of car headlights or fail to switch them on when it is dark.
The amended traffic regulations dictate that motorists should be given warnings for minor violations, and be able to pay fines in installments if necessary.
The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), mean-while, will begin fining manufacturers of pastries, cosmetics, wines and CDs/DVDs who over-package products.
The EPA has estimated that the new policy will eliminate 2,600 tonnes of waste per year.
Catching fish and shellfish in the Kenting National Park will also be banned from today. A spokesman for the EPA said the ban would help to prevent the national park's marine resources from being depleted.
The spokesman warned that those violating the National Park Law (國家公園法) would be subject to a NT$3,000 fine for a first offence, and that second and third-time offenders would face fines of NT$9,000 and NT$15,000 respectively.
Also today, the Department of Health will expand its "clean syringe program" for intravenous drug users to cover the entire country in an effort to reduce HIV transmission.
Finally, Taipower will implement two separate rate plans each for both households and industrial users.
Until today, the nation's power tariffs had not been raised for the past 23 years, but have been lowered 11 times during the same period, with an average rate of decline of 26.1 percent, according to Taipower.
The last price increase occurred in 1983.
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 US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative.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
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
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