TRAVEL
Avian flu alert for Hong Kong
The Mainland Affairs Council on Wednesday cautioned travelers bound for Hong Kong to practice vigilance and take precautions following an announcement by the Hong Kong Center for Health Protection of the first imported human case of H7N9 avian influenza in the territory this winter. The case reportedly involves a Chinese national visiting the territory. The council advised travelers going to Hong Kong in the next few days to maintain a high degree of caution and take strong protective measures against the virus. It also cautioned people to avoid direct contact with poultry and other birds, avoid eating uncooked meat and eggs, wash their hands frequently and see a doctor immediately if they develop a fever and cough after returning home. If people develop such symptoms they should immediately wear a mask and seek medical attention, the council added.
TOURISM
Alishan rail turns 104 years old
The Alishan Forest Railway is to run cypress carriages from Chiayi to Beimen Station this weekend to commemorate 104 years of operations, the Alishan Forest Railway Branch said yesterday. When it was opened in 1912, the railway initially ran from Chiayi to Erwanping (二萬坪), but was extended to Alishan on Dec. 25, 1914. Although constructed for logging, the railway is today primarily a tourist attraction, with unique Z-shaped switchbacks, tunnels and wooden bridges. The railway climbs to 2,200m, the only rail service of its kind in Taiwan. The cypress carriages are to depart Chiayi Station on Dec. 24 at 1:30pm, 2pm and 2:30pm. Tickets start at NT$38. Diesel locomotives are used for logging, but steam-powered Shay locomotives are used for passenger trips.
Former Czech Republic-based Taiwanese researcher Cheng Yu-chin (鄭宇欽) has been sentenced to seven years in prison on espionage-related charges, China’s Ministry of State Security announced yesterday. China said Cheng was a spy for Taiwan who “masqueraded as a professor” and that he was previously an assistant to former Cabinet secretary-general Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰). President-elect William Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday last week announced Cho would be his premier when Lai is inaugurated next month. Today is China’s “National Security Education Day.” The Chinese ministry yesterday released a video online showing arrests over the past 10 years of people alleged to be
THE HAWAII FACTOR: While a 1965 opinion said an attack on Hawaii would not trigger Article 5, the text of the treaty suggests the state is covered, the report says NATO could be drawn into a conflict in the Taiwan Strait if Chinese forces attacked the US mainland or Hawaii, a NATO Defense College report published on Monday says. The report, written by James Lee, an assistant research fellow at Academia Sinica’s Institute of European and American Studies, states that under certain conditions a Taiwan contingency could trigger Article 5 of NATO, under which an attack against any member of the alliance is considered an attack against all members, necessitating a response. Article 6 of the North Atlantic Treaty specifies that an armed attack in the territory of any member in Europe,
LIKE FAMILY: People now treat dogs and cats as family members. They receive the same medical treatments and tests as humans do, a veterinary association official said The number of pet dogs and cats in Taiwan has officially outnumbered the number of human newborns last year, data from the Ministry of Agriculture’s pet registration information system showed. As of last year, Taiwan had 94,544 registered pet dogs and 137,652 pet cats, the data showed. By contrast, 135,571 babies were born last year. Demand for medical care for pet animals has also risen. As of Feb. 29, there were 5,773 veterinarians in Taiwan, 3,993 of whom were for pet animals, statistics from the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency showed. In 2022, the nation had 3,077 pediatricians. As of last
XINJIANG: Officials are conducting a report into amending an existing law or to enact a special law to prohibit goods using forced labor Taiwan is mulling an amendment prohibiting the importation of goods using forced labor, similar to the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) passed by the US Congress in 2021 that imposed limits on goods produced using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region. A government official who wished to remain anonymous said yesterday that as the US customs law explicitly prohibits the importation of goods made using forced labor, in 2021 it passed the specialized UFLPA to limit the importation of cotton and other goods from China’s Xinjiang Uyghur region. Taiwan does not have the legal basis to prohibit the importation of goods