TRAVEL
Airport tax to rise in April
The airport tax departing passengers must pay is set to rise from NT$300 (US$9.5) to NT$500 in April, the Civil Aeronautics Administration said yesterday. The increase in revenue will be used to improve airport facilities and promote tourism, the agency said. Airport tax has not been raised for 27 years, and an increase in the fee would bring the nation more in line with international standards, the agency said. Singapore’s Changi Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport both charge more than NT$800 per passenger, while Japan’s Narita Airport and Incheon International Airport in South Korea charge about NT$700. The CAA said the airport tax brought in about NT$5.3 billion last year. After the tax hike takes effect, the government will earn about NT$9 billion in airport tax annually, and the previous 60-40 distribution ratio will become 50-50, the agency said.
HEALTH
Enterovirus 71 case reported
The public should remain on alert against enterovirus and pay attention to hygiene after the first imported case of enterovirus 71 infection was reported recently, the Centers for Disease Control said yesterday. A three-year-old boy who lives in Malaysia developed a sore throat and earache after his family arrived in the nation on Nov. 26, the agency said. He was confirmed to have enterovirus 71 on Nov. 27 and has now recovered. The centers reminded the public to take precautions, as the virus could remain active in the winter. Infants and children under the age of five are at increased risk of developing enterovirus infections with severe complications, officials said, adding that as soon as a child shows suspected symptoms of the virus, such as persistent fever, drowsiness, inactivity or continuous vomiting, the child should be taken to a hospital immediately for a check-up.
FISHERIES
Captain dies after capsizing
A fishing boat captain has died and two other crew members remain unaccounted for after their vessel hit rocks in waters off the northern coast and capsized late on Friday, the Coast Guard Administration said. The boat, which set sail at 1pm from Yehliu (野柳) in New Taipei City with 11 people aboard, was reported to have overturned at 11:27pm, the agency said. Coast guard personnel managed to rescue eight people from the sea. The captain’s body was found about 6am yesterday. The search is continuing for the two crew members, one of whom is Taiwanese and the other Indonesian, the coast guard said.
CRIME
Winery under investigation
A winery in Taoyuan County’s Yangmei Township (楊梅) is under investigation for allegedly selling Australian red wine diluted with a locally made version to distributors and supermarkets. The Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office on Thursday said that Universal Distiller Product Co had allegedly sold various kinds of red wine, labeled as imported, to distributors that included hypermarkets and convenience store chains. At least some of the wine was not entirely imported, but had had been mixed with cheaper local wine, prosecutors said, adding that the winery had sold more than 100,000 bottles of diluted red wine over the past year. They said the company allegedly made a profit of almost NT$10 million from sales of the suspect wine.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
RSS