■ AVIATION
Wu's plane fails to take off
The Air Force yesterday said it would re-examine Premier Wu Den-yih’s (吳敦義) chartered FK-5003 after it failed to take off twice from Kaohsiung International Airport yesterday morning. Wu returned to Taipei on the high-speed rail link instead. Air Force spokesman Lieutenant General Pan Kong-hsiao (潘恭孝) told a press conference later in the day that because the plane’s alert lights turned red before both departure attempts, the pilots decided not to take off. The same plane’s landing gear caught fire in November when it landed at Taichung International Airport while President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was on board. The fire was swiftly put out by Air Force personnel. Pan said the reasons for the two incidents were different. He didn’t elaborate further.
■ CRIME
Fugitive finally detained
A man wanted for starting a fire that killed 28 people a quarter of a century ago has been detained by police just days before a 25-year-old arrest warrant expired, officers said yesterday. The suspect, identified only by his surname Chen (陳), had been on the run after he allegedly set a hotel ablaze in southern Taiwan in 1985 with the help of three other men, the Criminal Investigation Bureau said. One of Chen’s alleged accomplices was executed on a murder conviction, while the other two have been released from prison after serving their respective terms, the bureau said in a statement. Chen, now 50, had evaded the authorities until police got a tip-off on his whereabouts in December which led to his arrest on Tuesday, only eight days before the expiry of the arrest warrant.
■ MEDIA
Lee Teng-hui film aired
A documentary on former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) was premiered on the Asian network of the Biography Channel last night, the cable channel said. The one-hour documentary titled Lee Teng-hui: The First Chinese Democracy, was aired at 9pm in nine Asian markets, including Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. It focused on how Lee transformed Taiwan from an authoritarian regime into a full democracy in the 12 years of his presidency that began in 1988, following the death of president Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國). One of Lee’s best known achievements was helping to bring about Taiwan’s first popular presidential election in 1996, in which he scored a comfortable victory.
■ SPORTS
Kaohsiung to bid for events
Kaohsiung City Government was yesterday granted the right to compete to host three international sports events on behalf of Taiwan. City government Deputy Secretary-General Hsu Chao-chuan (?? said the city would submit its plans to host the 2013 Asian Youth Games, the 2013 Asian Indoor Games and the 2016 Asian Beach Games to the International Olympic Committee by the end of the year, adding that the city government was confident of its capability of hosting the three events given its success hosting the World Games last summer. If the city wins the right to host any of the three events, it would be the first time the events have taken place in Taiwan, Hsu said. Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) said the city government would compete for the right to host any major international sports event that would help boost the city’s profile internationally.
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