■ SOCIETY
KRTC increases security
The Kaohsiung Rapid Transit Corp (KRTC) yesterday vowed to enhance its security measures after a drug addict passed out after using drugs in a KRTC restroom. In a press release, the company said it regretted the incident and that it would take remedial action to ensure that such things did not happen again. KRTC police have promised to increase the frequency of security patrols to prevent the KRTC’s restrooms from being used by drug addicts, the company said. Yang Feng-jung (楊豐榮), a KRTC official, told reporters that KRTC cleaning crews found an unconscious man inside a restroom with needles and drugs next to him two days ago. The man was taken to a police station for questioning after being woken up, Yang said.
■ TEMBLORS
Moderate earthquake hits
A magnitude 5.5 earthquake hit off the coast of Taiwan yesterday, the Seismology Center said. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The quake struck at 12:57pm, about 75km east of Chengkung (成功), a coastal township in Taitung County. The epicenter was 10km under the seabed.
■ HEALTH
Chinese tiles no health risk
The Atomic Energy Council (AEC) said on Saturday it conducts random checks on tiles sold locally and that there is no need for the public to worry about health risks. The AEC made the remarks one day after domestic tile manufacturers went to the legislature to bring attention to claims that the government has been allowing substandard Chinese tiles to enter Taiwan. The Taiwan Ceramic Industries Association estimates Taiwan’s tile market is worth about NT$25 billion (US$793 billion) a year, with tiles from China now accounting for 40 percent of that figure. Lin Chin-tsai (林進財), secretary-general of the association, said the Chinese tiles are not examined, are uneven and brittle. He also claimed that they could have high levels of radioactivity. AEC test results showed that the Chinese tiles fall within 0.07mSv/h and 0.09mSv/h, which is well within tolerance levels for radioactivity. There is no need for concern, the AEC said. “The council will continue to conduct checks on tiles to ensure public safety,” the AEC said.
■ POLITICS
PRC targets flag in Belgium
The Republic of China (ROC) flag was the target of Chinese malcontent at an international stamp show in Antwerp, Belgium, on Friday. This year’s Antverpia 2010 marks the first time Taiwan was represented at the show. Hanging the ROC flag along with those of the other countries attending the international exhibition reflects the organizer’s respect for such a special guest, officials of the representative office in Belgium said. The move, however, drew strong protest from officials at the Chinese embassy in Belgium. Frank Daniels, project manager of the event, dismissed the protest and told the Chinese officials that they were in Belgium and should show some respect, Taiwanese officials said. The protest by the Chinese officials shows a different face of China that is not good for its international reputation despite a recent warming in relations, the Taiwanese officials said. Antverpia 2010 is an international stamp fair organized by the Royal Belgian Federation of Philatelic Associations to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the founding of the group. The show opened on Friday and is scheduled to end today.
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
FLU SEASON: Twenty-six severe cases were reported from Tuesday last week to Monday, including a seven-year-old girl diagnosed with influenza-associated encephalopathy Nearly 140,000 people sought medical assistance for diarrhea last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Tuesday. From April 7 to Saturday last week, 139,848 people sought medical help for diarrhea-related illness, a 15.7 percent increase from last week’s 120,868 reports, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The number of people who reported diarrhea-related illness last week was the fourth highest in the same time period over the past decade, Lee said. Over the past four weeks, 203 mass illness cases had been reported, nearly four times higher than the 54 cases documented in the same period
Heat advisories were in effect for nine administrative regions yesterday afternoon as warm southwesterly winds pushed temperatures above 38°C in parts of southern Taiwan, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 3:30pm yesterday, Tainan’s Yujing District (玉井) had recorded the day’s highest temperature of 39.7°C, though the measurement will not be included in Taiwan’s official heat records since Yujing is an automatic rather than manually operated weather station, the CWA said. Highs recorded in other areas were 38.7°C in Kaohsiung’s Neimen District (內門), 38.2°C in Chiayi City and 38.1°C in Pingtung’s Sandimen Township (三地門), CWA data showed. The spell of scorching
HOSPITALITY HIT: Hotels in Hualien have an occupancy rate of 10 percent, down from 30 percent before the earthquake, a Tourism Administration official said The Executive Yuan yesterday unveiled a stimulus package of vouchers and subsidies to revive tourism in Hualien County following a quake measuring 7.2 on the Richter scale. The tremor on April 3, which killed at least 17 people and left two others missing, caused the county an estimated NT$3 billion (US$92.7 million) in damages. The Ministry of Economic Affairs is to issue vouchers worth NT$200 at the price of NT$100 for purchases at the Dongdamen Night Market (東大門夜市) in Hualien City to boost spending, a ministry official told a news conference after a Cabinet meeting in Taipei. The ministry plans to issue 18,400