Two more principals in New Taipei City (新北市) were detained yesterday for allegedly accepting bribes from catering firms, the Banciao District Prosecutors’ Office said, in an ongoing scandal over school lunch vendors.
Principals Lee Ying-tsung (李應宗) of Houpu Elementary School, in Banciao (板橋), and Ko Fen (柯份) of Luzhou Elementary School were held incommunicado on corruption charges.
Principals Hsu Li-chen (許利楨) of Cheng Kung Elementary School in Lujhou District (蘆洲) and Tsai Pao-chun (蔡寶俊) from Qing Shui Elementary School in Tucheng District (土城), who are also under investigation, were released on NT$1 million (US$33,300) bail after lengthy questioning that began on Thursday.
Meanwhile, New Taipei City’s Department of Education announced that Lee and Ko would be suspended from their positions, while Hsu and Tsai would be demoted to teaching posts and reassigned to the department as staff.
The four were questioned after Banciao prosecutors launched a second wave of investigations on Thursday into cases of alleged bribery over the provision of school lunches, looking into the practices at 13 elementary schools and seven junior-high schools in New Taipei City.
During the first wave of investigations, Banciao prosecutors on Oct. 28 detained 14 people in New Taipei City, including five principals, a middleman and a number of school employees overseeing lunch programs.
The recent probes came in response to a tip-off in May that several elementary-school principals in New Taipei City had been accepting kickbacks from lunch suppliers.
Minister of Education Wu Ching-ji (吳清基) yesterday instructed all city and county governments to immediately launch investigations to determine whether schools beyond New Taipei City are also involved in the practice, especially as most elementary and junior-high schools have cafeterias supplied by privately run catering companies.
Also yesterday, the Taiwan High Court revoked the Banciao District Court’s ruling from late last month on the 14 people questioned in the first wave of investigations and ordered a retrial.
The Banciao District Court, on the recommendation of the District Prosecutors’ Office, on Oct. 29 released two principals on NT$200,000 bail, while three other principals, nine school employees and private caterers be held incommunicado.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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