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■ CRIME

Ladies scammed online

More than 20 housewives fell victim to an online scam involving discounted department store gift coupons in May and last month, the fraud prevention hotline 165 said yesterday. The women were cheated out of more than NT$50 million (US$1.64 million), said staff at the hotline, which was set up by the police several years ago for reporting suspected fraudulent activity. One of the victims, surnamed Chien, said she lost more than NT$9 million belonging to her, her family and friends in the scam, including NT$5 million of her retired aunt’s pension money. Chien said that her aunt was so distraught after hearing that the money had been lost in the scam that she had to be admitted to hospital. The hotline team urged citizens to be wary of online offers that sound too good to be true.



■TRAVEL

Hualien-Japan route opens

The inaugural charter flight between Hualien City and Yonaguni-chou in Japan’s Okinawa Prefecture took off yesterday, flying a 72-member group led by Hualien Mayor Tsai Chi-ta (蔡啟塔) to the Japanese island for a four-day trip. The charter operated by Taipei-based TransAsia Airways was arranged to celebrate the 26th anniversary of sisterhood ties between the two localities. About 5 million Japanese tourists visit Okinawa per year, and Hualien stands a good chance of seizing business opportunities as a one-way flight between the two destinations takes only 40 minutes, the mayor said. The TransAsia charter plane was slated to return from Yonaguni to Hualien later the same day, carrying a 21-member group of Japanese tourists headed by the Yonaguni council speaker for a four-day visit in Hualien.



■HEALTH

Enterovirus in Sijhih

A 13-year-old boy in Sijhih City (汐止市) who was recently admitted to the hospital with symptoms of herpangina has been confirmed as Taipei County’s 12th serious enterovirus case of the year, the county government’s Public Health Bureau said yesterday. The boy was checked in to the hospital on June 21 when his condition began to worsen, and doctors at the hospital reported the suspected enterovirus case to the Department of Health’s Centers for Disease Control the same day. The center later confirmed that the boy had been infected with enterovirus 71 (E-71). The Public Health Bureau said there have been 296 serious enterovirus cases confirmed around Taiwan so far this year. In Taipei County, a total of 34 suspected cases have been reported to date, with 12 having been confirmed and 11 still being tested, the bureau said.



■EDUCATION

US culture camp on offer

In celebration of the Fourth of July, the American Institute in Taiwan and Taichung American Corner (TAC) are inviting Taiwanese youth ranging from eight to 15 years of age to participate in an English Summer Camp today. The event will be held at the TAC for Aboriginal high school students and at the Providence University Foreign Language Center for elementary school students. The program aims to increase awareness of US society, culture and values. Campers will also learn about US holidays and baseball, as well as American Indian folklore. The Chinese Professional Baseball League is a co-sponsor of the event. Several prominent Taiwanese baseball players are scheduled to speak to the young campers. For more information, please contact the National Taichung Library or the Providence University Foreign Language Center.

■HISTORY

High court upholds verdict

Taiwan High Court judges yesterday upheld a previous verdict of not guilty in a fraud case against cult leader Sung Chi-li (宋七力) and his assistant Cheng Chen-tung (鄭振冬). The ruling is not final, and the defendants as well as the plaintiffs can lodge a further appeal. The case in question dates to 1996 when then-Taipei City councilor Chu Mei-feng (璩美鳳) held a press conference and accused Sung of claiming to have supernatural powers and encouraging his followers to donate money. When the first verdict was handed down by the Taipei District Court in 1997, Sung and Cheng were sentenced to seven years in jail.



■HISTORY

Austronesian exhibit opens

The National Museum of Natural Science in Taichung City yesterday launched an exhibition of marine explorations of the Pacific Ocean, presenting a glimpse of Austronesian marine cultures through historical crafts and tools. The exhibition displays 129 marine tools and crafts used in the daily lives of the Austronesian people — a group present in Oceania and Southeast Asia, including Taiwan. According to the museum, Austronesian people speak, or had ancestors who spoke, some 1,200 languages, adding that studies show Taiwan was the dispersal point for Austronesian migration. The exhibition will run through Oct. 19 and will then embark on a world tour to Australia, the US and Canada.



■RESEARCH

Academia Sinica grows

Academia Sinica yesterday named 19 new members, with eight in the math and science division, seven in the life sciences division and four in the humanities and social sciences division. Among them Lin Jen-kun (林仁混) — nine times nominated emeritus professor at the Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the National Taiwan University college of medicine — was inducted into the life sciences division. Lee Yuan-pern (李遠鵬) — younger brother of Nobel Laureate Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) — was appointed in the math and sciences department.


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