Products for Deaflympics souvenir shops were not put through safety inspections, a Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor said yesterday, accusing the city government of damaging the nation’s reputation.
The organizing committee for the 21st Summer Deaflympics in Taipei has opened two souvenir shops at Taipei City Hall and Taipei Dome to promote the upcoming sports event.
However, most of the products — including stuffed toys, key chains and puzzles — did not undergo safety inspections and are not labeled with their place of origin, material or instructions, DPP Taipei City Councilor Hung Chien-yi (洪健益) said.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
Tree-frog shaped Taipei cellphone straps tested positive for excessive lead, Hung said, adding that the city government had ignored public safety.
Sun Huai-hsuan (孫懷萱), marketing director at the contractor Artsource said it was “impossible for the company to confirm whether all of the more than 100 products underwent inspections.”
Later yesterday, Deaflympics organizing committee director Emile Sheng (盛治仁) showed reporters a document to prove that some products had passed safety inspections.
Sheng said that the cellphone straps were not intended for children and were therefore not required to undergo safety tests.
However, the committee will have the straps tested for lead and pull the product off shelves until the test results come back, he said.
“Consumers who are still concerned about the safety of the straps can take them back to the stores and get a refund,” he said.
Meanwhile, a poll by Taipei’s Research & Development Evaluation Commission found that 89.6 percent of respondents knew about the Deaflympics and 26.8 percent said they would like to attend.
The survey polled 1,029 Taipei residents between July 20 and July 22.
City councilors said the city government had failed to stir public interest about the Deaflympics and had focused its promotional efforts on arranging entertainment shows and concerts that would only shift attention away from the event.
“The city government has failed to inspire Taipei residents to attend the events. Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin’s [郝龍斌] administration should think about how to get residents excited about the sports event,” Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Huang Hsiang-chun (黃向群) said.
In response, Taipei City Government Spokesperson Chao Hsin-ping (趙心屏) said the city government would step up efforts to promote the Deaflympics, which will be held from Sept. 5 to Sept. 15.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a "tsunami watch" alert after a magnitude 8.7 earthquake struck off the Kamchatka Peninsula in northeastern Russia earlier in the morning. The quake struck off the east coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula at 7:25am (Taiwan time) at a depth of about 19km, the CWA said, citing figures from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The CWA's Seismological Center said preliminary assessments indicate that a tsunami could reach Taiwan's coastal areas by 1:18pm today. The CWA urged residents along the coast to stay alert and take necessary precautions as waves as high as 1m could hit the southeastern
The National Museum of Taiwan Literature is next month to hold an exhibition in Osaka, Japan, showcasing the rich and unique history of Taiwanese folklore and literature. The exhibition, which is to run from Aug. 10 to Aug. 20 at the city’s Central Public Hall, is part of the “We Taiwan” at Expo 2025 series, highlighting Taiwan’s cultural ties with the international community, National Museum of Taiwan Literature director Chen Ying-fang (陳瑩芳) said. Folklore and literature, among Taiwan’s richest cultural heritages, naturally deserve a central place in the global dialogue, Chen said. Taiwan’s folklore would be immediately apparent at the entrance of the
Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said. On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway. The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found. Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
RSS