A nurse stationed on Itu Aba Island (Taiping Island, 太平島) on Thursday became the first civilian to register their residency on the island, with two of her colleagues planning to follow suit.
Itu Aba is the largest natural island in the Spratly Islands (南沙群島), to which Taiwan, the Philippines, the People’s Republic of China and Vietnam have overlapping claims.
The nurse, Chu Mei-ling (初美玲), registered her residence on Itu Aba in accordance with the National Health Administration’s integrated delivery system project, first enacted in 1999, that helps provide medical relief to Taiwanese in remote areas or islands.
Photo: Huang Chien-hua, Taipei Times
The project’s primary goal is to provide medical services to residents who are paying National Health Insurance dues, but are comparatively deprived of available medical resources because of the remoteness of their locations.
The three medical staff assigned to the island are Chu, Pan Man-chi (潘曼琪) and Lin Fang-tsu (林芳慈), the Coast Guard Administration’s southern coast patrol office said.
Both Pan and Lin are on vacation in Taiwan proper, but they plan to register their residencies on the island when they return to work, the office said.
Since the Coast Guard Administration took over the defense of the island in 2000, it has adhered to the spirit of keeping peace in the South China Sea, the office said, adding that it has also made efforts to ensure the island is peaceful, ecologically sustainable and has low carbon emissions.
Chu’s change of residence to the island would boost the morale of the staff on the island and show that Taiwanese support the nation’s claims of sovereignty in the South China Sea, the office said.
Chu’s relocation of residence was praised by Ma when he visited the island on Thursday, the office said.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park this weekend, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a theme food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances. Pokemon Go Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as photo attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs. Pokemon trainers could also experience the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area. Three PokeStops are to be set up in the park. Trainers are invited to take
RSS