The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) said it would launch more antidrug programs and other educational activities in schools amid a spate of homicides and other crimes allegedly committed by people under the influence of illegal drugs.
Statistics released by the ministry on Sunday last week showed that law enforcement authorities confiscated 4,339.5kg of illegal recreational drugs last year, setting a new record. Of that cache, 3,000kg was ketamine from China — also a record-high for drugs smuggled across the Taiwan Strait.
A female college student surnamed Huang (黃), 22, died in a New Taipei City motel room on Sunday last week after drinking alcohol and taking ecstasy during a birthday party with friends.
Her friends told police that Huang had occasionally taken ecstasy and ketamine over the past year, with the drugs supplied by drug pushers at Taipei nightclubs.
In another case in New Taipei City, a 32-year-old man surnamed Lu (盧) was found dead in his Banciao District (板橋) apartment on Tuesday last week after his friends said he had taken ecstasy and ketamine at a party.
In Kaohsiung, a 20-year-old man surnamed Lee (李) allegedly killed his grandparents with a meat cleaver then set the house on fire on March 27 after taking ketamine.
A teenage girl was allegedly stabbed to death on March 15 by her 25-year-old boyfriend, surnamed Chang (張), who said he had hallucinated after smoking a cigarette laced with ketamine and drinking ecstasy-laced coffee.
Some government officials and legislators have called for a crackdown on illegal drugs and for ketamine to be upgraded from a category 3 narcotic to a category 2 one, which would increase restrictions on its use and toughen punishments for its misuse.
Under the Narcotic Drugs Hazard Control Act (毒品危害防治條例), category 1 drugs include heroin, morphine, opium, cocaine and their byproducts, while category 2 drugs include marijuana and amphetamines.
Officials and legislators said ketamine has become a favorite recreational drug among young people and students.
Deputy Minister of Justice Chen Ming-tang (陳明堂) said the ministry has convened panels of legal experts and academics to deliberate the issue and they have recommended not altering ketamine’s status.
“Experts said ketamine is not as addictive as category 1 and 2 drugs, and jailing users might not have the desired deterrent effect,” Chen said.
Ketamine is seen as a “cheap drug,” leading students and other young people to try it due to curiosity and peer pressure, he said.
Chen said the ministry would work with other agencies to carry out drug awareness programs in secondary schools and universities.
Chen said that the legislature passed amendments to the Narcotic Drugs Hazard Control Act in January that increased punishments for manufacturing and trafficking ketamine, along with other category 3 and 4 drugs.
“The aim was to stem drug abuse, and we are sure it can achieve the desired effects,” Chen said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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