SOCIETY
Visiting teen dies in fall
A Chinese-American, 17, fell to his death from an upper floor of the Chientan Overseas Youth Activity Center in Taipei, the China Youth Corps said yesterday. The teenager, whose name has not been released, arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday last week with his sister to participate in a 21-day summer camp run by the corps, China Youth Corps inspector Wang Chun-yuan (王群元) said. However, he appeared to have had some difficulty adapting and on Saturday last week began hiding in a clothes closet, Wang said. After communicating with his parents, the corps made arrangements to send the youth to Hong Kong today to meet with relatives, Wang said. It also arranged for him to visit the Taipei Zoo yesterday. However, after the zoo visit, his body was found yesterday afternoon in a garden, Wang said. Police said they are investigating the incident, including the possibility that the young man committed suicide, but said he had not left a note.
POLITICS
Township mayor guilty
The Pingtung District Court yesterday invalidated the election of Chen Lung-chin (陳隆進) as the mayor of Liouciou Township (琉球) after finding him guilty of vote buying. Chen, Liouciou Township Council member Hung Tzu-chien (洪慈綪) and a township council candidate were indicted on charges of paying NT$4,000 (US$128) per vote ahead of the Nov. 29 nine-in-one elections last year. Chen said he would appeal. A verdict in Hung’s case is expected tomorrow. Hung, who ran for office for the first time last year, gained prominence while acting as a spokesperson for her family after her father, Hung Shih-cheng (洪石成), was killed when Philippine Coast Guard personnel strafed his fishing boat during a confrontation in May 2013.
SOCIETY
Mobile bathing van donated
Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) over the weekend thanked MySchin Co chairman Chen Chih-chi (陳志池) for donating a mobile bathing vehicle, the county’s third. The vehicle cost more than NT$2 million. The county’s seniors and disabled residents will be better served, Wei said, adding that the county needs at least eight such vehicles to serve residents. He said that he hoped more people would assist the county government’s efforts to help people in need. Chen, who grew up in the county’s Erlin Township (二林), said he had always wanted to do something for areas lacking resources, especially when society is rapidly aging. The county government launched the mobile bathing program last year with two bathing vehicles, which as of the end of May had made 1,733 missions. The new vehicle is scheduled to enter service next month.
TRANSPORTATION
App provides MRT times
Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) yesterday launched a mobile app that allows users to check the arrival times of Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System trains. The app also displays the location of YouBike stations and parking lots near MRT stations and provides bus transfer information, the transit operator said. It also indicates which MRT exits have elevators, escalators or staircases, the company added. The app was released for Android devices in the Google Play store yesterday afternoon and is to be available for iOS devices in the Apple App Store after screening by Apple Inc, it added.
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