Taipei City prepares naturalization test for foreigners
The Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs will hold a naturalization test on July 19. Those interested in taking the test should register with district offices by next Monday, the department said last Wednesday. The department said foreigners or non-native residents who are interested in taking the test should bring their alien resident certificates and one passport photo to register, as well as the NT$500 fee to complete registration by next Monday. More information on the location of local district offices is available at the Taipei Citizen Hotline at 1999. Test takers can download samples of the latest test questions at www.ris.gov.tw.
Community Service Center announces summer hours
The Community Service Center will operate on a half-day basis from 9am to 1pm next month, but will resume normal office hours from 9am to 5pm on Aug. 3. The center said the weekly coffee mornings on Wednesdays, however, would continue throughout the summer break. The number for counseling emergencies during the summer break is 0932-594-578. Meanwhile, Community Service Center Intercultural trainer Amy Liu has written a new book titled Taiwan A to Z: The Essential Cultural Guide, which offers insights into Taiwanese culture and provides the necessary information any expatriate in Taiwan should know. Copies of the book are available at the Community Center for NT$490 each, the center 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
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
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
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