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Taiwan News Quick Take

■transport

THSRC breaks record

Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) said yesterday that it transported 132,000 passengers and operated 130 trains on Sunday, the last day of the Tomb Sweeping holiday, marking two new highs. Sunday’s passenger volume broke the record of 123,000 set on the eve of the holiday the firm said. Some 460,000 passengers traveled on the system during the four-day holiday, a figure that exceeded the volume recorded over the Lunar New Year holiday in February, a company executive said. The official attributed the increased volume to the THSRC’s decision to provide additional trains and some free seats, a service that drew many impromptu passengers, adding that during the Lunar New Year holiday most travelers had reserved seats for planned trips. On the last day of the Tomb Sweeping holiday THSRC allowed free seating in some train cars and dispatched an additional four non-reserved trains to carry people from Kaohsiung to Taipei and one from Taichung to Taipei, but many passengers still had to stand all the way, the executive said.



■education

Writing contest announced

The Ministry of Education and the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huaya opened registrations yesterday for a computer writing contest for foreigners. Registration is open to non-native high-intermediate Mandarin students and will run until April 30. The contest will be held on May 27. The steering committee said the contest will consist of two parts — an applied essay and a discussion essay. The five winners will receive awards and cash prizes ranging from NT$2,000 to NT$10,000, the committee said. The committee said it hoped the contest would encourage more foreigners to improve their computer writing and Mandarin skills. Those interested in taking part can visit the committee’s Web site at www.sc-top.org.tw or call (02) 3343-3900.


■HEAlth

Department gives warning

Officials from Taichung County’s department of health have urged local women to be aware of the risks of cervical cancer even if they have had their wombs removed. The officials pointed to the case of a woman aged over 60, who got cervical cancer even though she had her womb and ovaries taken out 10 years before. The woman had skipped Pap smear examinations since then and was shocked to find out that she had cervical cancer early this year, the officials said. They believe that cancer cells might develop in remaining womb tissue.



■HEAlth

Court orders pay out

Taipei District Court recently ordered Alexander Health Clubs to pay more than NT$245,000 in compensation to a university professor who broke his arm after he slipped on a wet floor at one of their fitness centers. The professor, surnamed Lin, broke his right forearm at the health club’s Songshou Road branch in 2005. Lin ended up spending four days in hospital and it took more than two months to heal. Lin decided to sue for compensation stating in the lawsuit that the health club had not placed any warning signs to let people know that the floor was wet. In the lawsuit, Lin claimed that the muscles in his right forearm were still weak and that full mobility had not been restored despite over six months of rehabilitation. The court said in its ruling that the Alexander Health Club was responsible for the accident.