■ Entertainment
Drug test results revealed
Entertainer Suzanne Hsiao (蕭淑慎) was found to have used cocaine, while TV show hosts Tuo Tsung-kang (庹宗康) and Chu Chung-heng (屈中恆) and actors Jung Hsiung (戎祥), Hung Chi-te (洪其德) and Chang Li-wei (張立威) were found to have taken marijuana, according to drug test results released by prosecutors yesterday. Prosecutors said they would ask the court to order detention for the six. The drug tests were ordered after police raided a Taipei apartment last month and found a marijuana-growing operation. In related news, prosecutors have asked for a three-year sentence for variety show host Hu Gua (胡瓜), who installed cameras in his residence to cheat people who played mahjong with him.
■ Defense
Amendment moves forward
The National Defense Committee passed a second reading of an amendment to the National Defense Act (國防法) yesterday. The amendment regulates that military personnel will not be allowed to be connected to any form of political activities, including posting political articles on the Internet, participating in political activities and making political comments whether in public or in private, in uniform or out. The amendment still must go to a floor vote.
■ Society
Donations sought for ride
Five physically challenged people are bicycling around Taiwan in an effort to raise money for others with physical disabilities, a Chinese Christian Relief Association (CCRA) official said yesterday. Hsiao Chao-liang (蕭潮樑), Chang Wen-yen (張文彥), Liao Yung-jen (廖永仁), Kuo Hsien-hui (郭憲輝) and Chen Chi-jen (陳麒仁) began their 14-day, 1,500km trip last Saturday. The CCRA yesterday announced an online game to attract donors for the bike tour. The game offers donors a chance to win merchandise ranging from bicycles to Christmas CDs in a lucky draw. Those interested in making a donation can visit the CCRA's Web site at www.1919.org.tw/2006/bike.
■ Crime
Fishy cargo leads to bust
Two men were arrested in Kaohsiung yesterday and 15 blocks of heroin weighing 15kg in total and estimated to have a market value of NT$300 million (US$9.18 million) were seized, police said. The heroin was hidden in 357 boxes of fish imported from Thailand. The two men were arrested when they came to claim the fish from a refrigerated warehouse. Investigators said they were alerted six months ago that drug dealers were trying to bring in heroin from Thailand in boxes of fish.
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