The practices of unscrupulous fruit vendors at Taipei’s Shilin Night Market (士林夜市) — one of the capital’s most popular tourist destinations — came under fire yesterday as a government minister said that the “pests” who overcharge foreign visitors must be exposed.
Responding to a lawmaker who raised the issue during a legislative plenary session, Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Jian-yu (陳建宇) said that while he believed the practice of overcharging foreign shoppers was limited to just a few fruit vendors, he would take steps to address the matter.
Citing local media reports, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Tsai Chin-lung (蔡錦隆) said that fruit vendors at Shilin Night Market have been swindling foreign tourists, charging up to NT$1,250 for a small bag of sliced fresh fruit.
“It’s a very unreasonable price and it gives people a bad impression,” Tsai said.
He called on Chen’s ministry to address the allegations.
In response, Chen said he would direct the Tourism Bureau and the Taipei City Government to coordinate their efforts to ensure the night market’s fruit vendors are brought under control.
Vendors found ripping off foreign tourists must be dealt with, he said.
“Those pests must be rooted out and exposed,” he said.
Citing a Facebook post by an unidentified person, several local media outlets on Tuesday reported that a fruit stand at the night market had been charging foreign visitors exorbitant prices.
The Facebook post said one vendor had sold two Malaysian tourists a bag of fruit for NT$1,250, which the person said was “robbery.”
Responding to the allegations of overpricing at the night market, a fruit vendor said in a Next TV interview that the prices of all the fruit at his stand are clearly displayed.
“Tourists are not swindled,” he said, adding that his prices are the same for foreign and local buyers.
There have been several previous news reports and allegations that fruit vendors at the night market charge foreigners inflated prices.
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
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
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
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