Foreign nationals eligible to receive the NT$3,600 in government-issued consumer vouchers but whose names do not appear on the official roster must notify the National Immigration Agency (NIA) by today to qualify for the vouchers, the agency said yesterday.
All qualified foreign spouses, including those from China, who have not claimed their vouchers must do so before April 30, the NIA said.
The agency Web site provides a list of post offices authorized to distribute the vouchers.
The vouchers must be used before their expiration date of Sept. 30, the agency said.
The vouchers were issued on Jan. 18 as part of government efforts to boost the economy.
In other developments, a Chinese woman who was allegedly sexually assaulted by two men has been permitted to apply for permanent residency.
A local newspaper reported that the woman, surnamed Wen, was conned into marrying a Taiwanese man a few years ago. She did not know that her husband was in the illegal drug business until she arrived in Taiwan, the NIA said.
Wen's husband was thrown into jail on drug charges shortly after she gave birth to their first child, the agency said. To support the family, Wen opened a small noodle shop in an old building, where she was allegedly sexually assaulted twice, it said.
The NIA and the Tainan City police learned of Wen's plight after news of her misfortune came out. Both have pledged to help Wen obtain permanent residency by next month.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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