Excited stamp collectors lined up in front of the Taipei Post Office early yesterday morning to be among the first to acquire freshly printed 228 Memorial Hall Stamps issued by the Taiwan Post Co.
But enthusiasm soon turned into anger as police tried in vain to prevent unruly queuers from sneaking forward in the line to purchase a second set of stamps.
Because each branch office only has limited supplies of the stamps, some collecters had to visit more than one post office to try to acquire stamps.
PHOTO: CNA
Customers were only permitted to purchase two to four stamps at a time, but most collectors wanted to buy the entire set of 20 stamps.
"What is the purpose of collecting the stamps if you can only buy four of them?" one stamp collector asked. "It is not worth it!"
"The quality of the design is poor," another stamp collector complained. "It looks like it was done in a hurry."
Despite complaints and minor conflicts, the first batch of stamps bearing the name "Taiwan" has proven to be a popular commodity among enthusiasts.
The Taipei Post Office on Nanhai Road, for example, was given 500 sets to sell. All 500 sets were sold within half an hour after the post office opened at 8:30am.
"These Taiwan stamps were published immediately after Chunghwa Post changed its name to Taiwan Post," a young man said while on the way to have his postage envelope stamped with a 228 Memorial Hall seal.
"Since the Legislative Yuan has yet to amend the relevant regulation to legalize the name change, the company might have to change its name back. And if that is the case, these stamps could become rarities," he said.
The recently renamed post office announced earlier that it would issue 1 million stamps yesterday in remembrance of the 228 Incident.
The stamp features the new National 228 Memorial Hall, located on Nanhai Road, with a lily next to it.
To accommodate stamp collectors, Taiwan Post kept 51 post offices open yesterday, although it was a national holiday.
The company said more than 400,000 stamps were sold yesterday. It also said 300,000 stamps would be placed in its annual yearbook. More than 100,000 would be reserved for the post office's long-term subscribers. The remaining stamps will be available for purchase today.
A Hualien pomelo farmer refused to sell to China after the country announced it would permit more Taiwanese pomelo imports, prompting widespread support from Taiwanese consumers, who rallied to buy his fruit. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office last month said that China’s General Administration of Customs registered an additional 79 Taiwanese pomelo orchards and packing facilities in Hualien County, allowing more Taiwanese producers to export pomelos to China. “I am a Hualien fruit farmer and I refuse to sell to China,” Liu Tzu-hao (劉子豪) from Ruisui Township (瑞穗) said in an online post. Liu is a well-known farmer in the community and has served
UPDATE: The submarine would need to undergo combined systems testing and crew training for navy personnel before it is ready for mission, an expert said Taiwan’s first domestically built submarine, the Hai Kun (Narwhal, 海鯤), could be delivered to the navy as early as next month, military expert and Taiwan Association for Security and Development chairman Chi Tung-yun (紀東昀) said yesterday. The submarine was yesterday morning observed departing for its 21st sea trial and its 15th submerged test. The vessel missed the initial delivery deadline of November last year due to “testing delays,” its primary contractor, shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan, said in June. The contractor also cited “political pressure from China” in procuring critical equipment. All testing operations are in the final stages, with the
OCT. 31: The antiviral drugs Tamiflu and Eraflu have been distributed to about 4,000 medical facilities nationwide for people in seven groups who develop flu-like symptoms As the domestic influenza epidemic enters its peak season and continues to escalate, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday announced that publicly funded influenza antiviral drugs for seven eligible groups have been extended to Oct. 31, allowing those who develop flu-like symptoms to receive the medication without undergoing a rapid influenza test. The CDC has extended the expanded use of flu antiviral drugs to seven groups: healthcare and influenza-prevention personnel; residents and staff at nursing homes, long-term care facilities and similar institutions; kindergarten and daycare workers and home-based caregivers; students from kindergarten through high school, vocational high school and the
Six NT$10 million (US$315,527) special prizes and seven NT$2 million grand prizes in Taiwan's May-June uniform invoice lottery remained unclaimed as of today, including one NT$10 million winner who spent only NT$10 on an Uber Eats delivery order, the Ministry of Finance said. The ministry said the 13 winners need to claim their prizes by Nov. 5. The eight-digit serial number that won the NT$10 million special prize for May-June was 38548029, with 18 winning receipts in total. The NT$2 million grand prize number was 10138845, of which there were 22 winning receipts, the ministry said. In addition to the receipt issued for an
RSS