Premier Lin Chuan (林全) yesterday said that he respects the view of the central bank on whether to re-design the Taiwanese currency.
I will “not give policy instructions in this regard,” Lin said during a question-and-answer session at the legislature in Taipei when asked if an expensive redesign of the currency would be undertaken.
If some within the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) want to change the design of bills and coins, they should submit their proposals to the central bank, he said.
Lin’s words came a day after central bank Governor Perng Fai-nan (彭淮南) said that the bank does not consider redesigning the currency a priority.
New Taiwan dollar bills in circulation have been effective in combating forgery, with only 0.27 forged notes detected in every 1 million bills, one of the lowest levels in the world, Perng said.
“A recall of all bills in circulation would take about six years,” Perng said. “Coupled with redesigning and printing, the cost could reach NT$50 billion [US$1.6 billion].”
“Therefore, there is no urgent need to redesign the currency,” Perng said, adding that he would not push for such a move during his term.
Perng said that the current designs — which cover such themes as education, sports, technology, environmental protection and ecology, and display images of Alishan and Nanhudashan, as well as protected animals — showcase many of the distinctive features of Taiwan.
A suggestion to redesign the currency was raised by DPP Legislator Gao Jyh-peng (高志鵬).
Gao said a redesign was warranted, as images of Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen (孫中山) on notes and Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) on coins could be deemed a contribution to a cult of personality.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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