A 35-year-old man critically injured in the Color Play Asia fire at Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) on June 27 was discharged yesterday from New Taipei City’s Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, becoming the first victim with burns to more than 20 percent of their body to be sent home.
Chen Po-chang (陳柏璋), who suffered burns to 20.8 percent of his body, was wheeled out of the hospital in a wheelchair yesterday afternoon with burns clearly visible on his arms and legs.
Chen told reporters he was standing right in front of the main stage at the event at the Bali District (八里) water park when the explosion occurred, and that he ran so fast that he lost both his shoes.
Photo: Chen Wei-tsung, Taipei Times
He thanked his family and the hospital for their support, and encouraged the other victims of the fire to have faith in themselves.
Far Eastern Memorial Hospital superintendent Chu Shu-hsun (朱樹勳) said Chen’s release could prove inspirational to the other 18 fire victims the hospital is treating, including one who sustained burns over more than 17 percent of their body.
As of 10am yesterday, 426 fire victims remained hospitalized at 49 medical institutions nationwide, including 288 in intensive care units and 229 who are in critical condition, the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s statistics show.
Of those injured in the fire, 248 suffered burns over more than 40 percent of their bodies, with 22 sustaining burns covering at least 80 percent.
Meanwhile, amid mounting criticism over the fairness of the Executive Yuan giving civil servants with immediate relatives who were injured in the fire 20 days of paid leave, officials said private sector workers would receive financial support equivalent to 20 days’ wages.
In order to take care of all the families of the victims, New Taipei City Mayor Eric Chu (朱立倫) told Premier Mao Chi-kuo (毛治國) in a telephone call that he would follow the Executive Yuan’s decision, Executive Yuan spokesperson Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said.
Chu told the premier that the money would come from donations made by members of the public to the fire victims that the city government has collected, Sun said.
The Executive Yuan on Monday said that 35 civil servants whose family members were hurt in the fire were entitled to a total of 20 days paid leave in line with the recently revised Operation Regulations on the Suspension of Offices and Classes in times of Natural Disasters (天然災害停止上班及上課作業辦法).
The move drew criticism because it appeared to favor civil servants over those employed in the private sector.
Under the Labor Standards Act (勞動基準法), employees of private enterprises are entitled to 14 days of unpaid leave a year.
Chu said later yesterday that the New Taipei City Government would tap funds donated by companies and corporations to cover the cost of subsidizing the leave policy since the firms said they wanted the money to be used to take care of the fire victims and their families.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus yesterday said it opposes the introduction of migrant workers from India until a mechanism is in place to prevent workers from absconding. Minister of Labor Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) on Thursday told the Legislative Yuan that the first group of migrant workers from India could be introduced as early as this year, as part of a government program. The caucus’ opposition to the policy is based on the assessment that “the risk is too high,” KMT caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) said. Taiwan has a serious and long-standing problem of migrant workers absconding from their contracts, indicating that
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
TRADE-OFF: Beijing seeks to trade a bowl of tempura for a Chinese delicacy, an official said, while another said its promises were attempts to interfere in the polls The government must carefully consider the national security implications of building a bridge connecting Kinmen County and Xiamen, China, the Public Construction Commission (PCC) said yesterday. PCC Commissioner Derek Chen (陳金德), who is also a minister without portfolio, made the remarks in a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, after Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Hsu Fu-kuei (徐富癸) asked about China’s proposal of new infrastructure projects to further connect Kinmen and Lienchiang (Matsu) counties with Xiamen. China unveiled the bridge plan, along with nine other policies for Taiwan, on Sunday, the last day of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairwoman Cheng Li-wun’s (鄭麗文) visit
RSS