The John Tung Foundation slammed the Taipei Zoo on Saturday for maintaining outdoor smoking areas inside its complex, saying the city zoo has set a bad example for the campaign against smoking.
Lin Ching-li (林清麗), a foundation section chief in charge of tobacco hazards control and prevention, said the foundation has received complaints from a number of citizens in recent weeks about the presence of outdoor smoking areas inside the city zoo.
One of those complaining said he didn’t know how to explain the concept of a smoking ban to his young children when people were lighting up in the zoo’s “smoking areas” despite a sign at the zoo’s main entrance clearly stating that smoking is not allowed inside its compound, Lin said.
A survey by foundation staff showed that there are three smoking areas inside the zoo, with one close to its main gate and another close to vending machines in its temperate zone animals area, Lin said.
Although the new version of the Tobacco Hazards Prevention and Control Act (菸害防治法) that completely bans smoking in 13 types of venues will take effect on Jan. 11 next year, the city zoo has yet to install posters or signboards inside its complex.
“It seems to me that zoo administrators do not think that any improvement is needed with regard to its duty to discourage smoking and create a smoking-free environment inside its compound,” Lin said.
Yao Su-yuan (姚思遠), dean of Chinese Culture University’s College of Law, said the revised anti-smoking act clearly defines which places will be subject to a complete smoking ban and which will be allowed to set up an outdoor smoking area.
The city zoo, which accommodates 4 million visitors annually, likely falls within the category subject to a complete smoking ban because its main visitors are children and their parents, and its main function is for public education, Yao said.
Even if zoo officials don’t consider the zoo an educational place, they should not install smoking areas in locations that most zoo visitors pass by, Yao said.
Lin said that education should be the zoo’s primary mission since it is placed under the city’s Education Department.
Responding to the foundation’s criticism, Taipei Zoo director Jason Yeh (葉賈森) said zoo officials would step up anti-smoking publicity in the future as smoking is detrimental to people’s health.
Nevertheless, he said, visitors to the zoo include parents and regular smokers. In consideration of their needs, he said, the zoo must still maintain smoking areas.
But he promised that the smoking area near the zoo’s entrance would be closed and new areas in more “remote places” would be designated.
“We’ll add a no-smoking mark on the zoo’s admission ticket,” Yeh said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost