■ TRAVEL
Cops send sidewalk warning
The Taipei City Police Department warned motorcyclists yesterday to stay off the sidewalks or risk fines of at least NT$600. As part of the warning, the department released statistics showing the results of police efforts to clamp down on the offense between January and last month. The figures showed that 22,593 motorcyclists were ticketed for riding on the sidewalks during the eight-month period, up from 4,783 in the same period last year. The 10 roads in the city that saw the most offenders included Keelung Rd Sec. 2, Jihe Rd, Minsheng E Rd Sec. 5, Zhongxiao E Rd Sec. 4, Zhongshan N Rd Sec. 5, Dunhua N Rd, Zhongzheng Rd, Zhonghua Rd Sec. 1, Bade Rd Sec. 4 and Jiuzong Rd Sec. 1, the statistics showed.
■ AGRICULTURE
Seed testing re-accredited
The Council of Agriculture's Seed Testing Laboratory has obtained a certificate of re-accreditation from the International Seed Testing Association in recognition of its competence, a council official said yesterday. The re-accreditation represents the association's extended authorization for the laboratory to issue certificates for domestic seed testing on behalf of the association, the official said. Based in Switzerland and founded in 1924, the association aims to develop and establish standard procedures in the field of seed testing. Accreditation issued by the association is valid for three years and a re-assessment of a member's competence is required before re-accreditation is granted, the official said.
■ HEALTH
Free flu shots available
The Department of Health will provide free flu inoculations for groups at high risk of infection starting on Monday to prepare for this winter's flu season, an official said yesterday. Deputy director-general of the department's Center for Disease Control Chou Chih-hao (周志浩) said the targeted groups are those aged 65 and over, children aged between six months and two years, children enrolled in the first and second years of elementary school, healthcare and quarantine workers and workers in the poultry and livestock industry. Chou said the center has procured 2.37 million doses of flu vaccine for adults and 320,000 doses for children to cope with this year's demand. Chou urged those eligible for priority inoculations to receive the shots as soon as possible at designated medical institutions.
■ IMMIGRATION
Absconders on the rise
The number of Chinese crew working aboard Taiwanese fishing boats who have absconded has increased, the Council of Agriculture said yesterday. Officials of the council's Fisheries Administration said that as of Tuesday, 337 Chinese crewmen had run away from their posts, of which 187 had been arrested, while 150 were still on the run. The officials made the remarks while reporting to the Mainland Affairs Council on problems encountered in managing Chinese crewmen. They noted that from January to Sept. 25, the number of absconding Chinese crewmen had reached 48 and that the counties of Ilan and Taipei had reported the most runaways at 32, most of whom were from Fujian Province. To curb further runaways, the Fisheries Administration has asked local governments to step up management. If necessary, the Cabinet will consider suspending the hiring of additional Chinese crewmen until the situation improves, officials said.
■ HEALTH
Birdwatchers told to beware
The Department of Health urged birdwatchers not to venture too close to their subjects during the autumn and winter bird-watching season. Chou Chih-hao (周志浩), deputy director of the department's Centers for Disease Control, said that Taiwan has had no reported case of humans being infected with the H5N1 virus, a virulent strain of avian flu. But as such cases have continued to be reported in Indonesia and Vietnam, the public should be on their guard, Chou said. He said that the Council of Agriculture has begun intensively monitoring migratory birds to check for avian flu. The council has not found any cases of migratory birds being infected with avian flu and the "situation seems to be so far so good," Chou said.
■ CRIME
Police bust gambling ring
The criminal investigation division of the Kaohsiung Police Bureau said yesterday it had busted a baseball gambling ring and arrested its leader and eight members. A police spokesman said that agents from the criminal investigation division had raided 12 betting outlets in Kaohsiung City, Kaohsiung County and neighboring Pingtung County on Wednesday. Police arrested the ring leader and eight accomplices, who had accepted bets on the results of local baseball games. The members of the ring had netted profits totaling nearly NT$100 million (US$3.04 million) over the past six months, the spokesman said. Police confiscated seven desktop computers, six laptops, 20 telephones and NT$490,000 in cash. The accused would be charged with gambling and organized crime at Kaohsiung District Court, the spokesman said.
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
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
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
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