CRIME
Pet abuser to do social work
A college student on Monday was ordered to do 40 hours of community service after admitting that she had mistreated her cat. The Providence University student, surnamed Lin (林), sparked a public outcry after posting photographs on Facebook of how she punished her cat “Kiki” by placing it in a plastic container. Lin did not take the backlash seriously until Greater Taichung District prosecutors informed her that she had violated the Animal Protection Act (動物保護法). After Lin showed remorse, saying she “deeply regretted” her action, prosecutors agreed to defer prosecution of the case, but ordered her to do 40 hours of community service over the next nine months and put her on probation for one year.
TRAVEL
More people taking cruises
The nation has emerged as the largest market in Asia for Star Cruises due largely to a rapid growth in passenger numbers in recent years. Without giving specific numbers, Star Cruises said it recorded the best sales in Taiwan among all Asian markets last year. The leading cruise line operator in the Asia-Pacific region entered the Taiwanese market in 1997. Last year, sea ports around the nation served 992,000 passengers, an increase of 41.8 percent from the previous year, Ministry of Transportation and Communications statistics showed. The high growth was partly attributed a 45.4 percent increase in the number of cruise passengers to 390,000 last year. Catering to the growing demand for cruise travel in the region, Star Cruises recently ordered two mega ships — 150,000-tonne and 160,000-tonne models — with a maximum passenger capacity of more than 4,500. The ships are expected to be delivered in 2016 and 2017.
DIPLOMACY
Groups mark Fukushima
Japanese and Taiwanese groups will commemorate the third anniversary of the devastating March 11, 2011, earthquake in Japan with a concert in Greater Taichung, organizers said yesterday. The concert, set for April 1 at the Chungshan Hall, is meant to reflect Japan’s gratitude for the relief assistance offered by Taiwan — which donated about ¥20 billion (US$195 million) in aid, more than any other single country — following the magnitude 9 earthquake and subsequent tsunami, said Lee Hsueh-feng (李雪峰), president of the Taiwan Koza Taiwan-Japan Exchange Association. As the concert is meant as a “thank you” gesture, 1,000 Taiwanese will be admitted free of charge, while up to 500 more tickets will be sold for NT$3,000. Some performers will come from the hardest-hit areas, including a female high-school choir and an opera singer, organizers said.
TOURISM
W and Regent: hottest hotels
The W Taipei and Regent Taipei are among the most popular accommodation choices for foreign celebrities when they visit Taiwan, Hotels.com said on Monday. W Taipei has been popular among foreign entertainers, sports stars and designers, Hotels.com said in a statement, based on information it has collected in recent years. Those who have stayed at W Taipei include Canadian pop-R&B singer Justin Bieber, Taiwanese-American NBA player Jeremy Lin (林書豪), retired Japanese football player Hidetoshi Nakata, Taiwanese-Canadian designer Jason Wu (吳季剛) and South Korean stars such as Jang Keun-suk. The Regent Taipei has been a popular choice among South Korean entertainers, counting among its celebrity guests actor Lee Min-ho, actress Yoon Eun-hye, the girl group Girls’ Generation and pop group Super Junior.
HEALTH
CDC alters checkup rules
From March 1, foreign workers’ medical examination reports will be directly sent to the health authorities from the responsible hospitals, which will lift the filing burden from employers, the Centers for Disease Control said yesterday. Employers are currently responsible for filing the reports of the routine physical examinations undertaken by foreign workers after six months, 18 months and 30 months of work in the country. Of the 380,000 foreign workers who undergo annual medical examinations, 99 percent meet the health requirements and are not required to undergo follow-up checks, the agency said. However, employers are still required to file reports for workers after they have follow-up checks. Employers who fail to have the foreign workers undertake follow-up examinations as required or do not file the reports face revocation of their employment permit, it added.
CRIME
Threats prompt legal action
Mandopop singer Jam Hsiao’s (蕭敬騰) management company said on Monday that it would take legal action against a letter writer targeting the singer. Warner Music Taiwan said in a statement that the police are handling the case. It did not specify who the target of the lawsuit would be. Hsiao received a threatening letter on Friday last week that contained mealworms and paper money usually burned for the deceased, Warner Music Taiwan said. Hsiao was attacked in October last year by men riding scooters who threw feces and urine into his car, hitting his driver, but not Hsiao. The instigator of the harassment is yet to be identified despite widespread speculation.
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