The National Immigration Agency (NIA) yesterday presented a gift to the 50 millionth e-Gate user, a man surnamed Lin (林), at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, marking a new usage record for the system.
There are now 66 e-Gates — installation of which began in 2011 — in use at the nation’s airports and seaports, processing an average of 40,000 travelers per day, NIA Director-General Jeff Yang (楊家駿) said.
More than 37 million people were processed at Taoyuan airport last year, Yang said, adding that it is estimated that the number will reach 45 million per year after the third terminal opens in 2020, when the facility will have a total of 58 e-Gates.
Photo: Yao Chieh-hsiu, Taipei Times
A survey found that 50 percent of travelers processed at Taoyuan airport in the first half of this year used the e-Gate service, of whom 90 percent expressed satisfaction with the automated system, he said.
Republic of China (ROC) citizens are eligible to apply to use the automated service, as are holders of Alien Resident Certificates and Alien Permanent Resident Certificates. Applicants must be older than 14 and taller than 140cm.
Since September 2012, foreign diplomats and staff of international organizations who hold a Diplomatic Identification Card issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have also been eligible to use the service.
The system can also be used by overseas Chinese without household registration who hold an ROC resident certificate, as well as residents of Hong Kong, Macau or China who hold a multiple re-entry Exit and Entry Permit for the Taiwan Area (Resident).
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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