Chen Ding-shinn (
Chen's cautious attitude is praiseworthy, given the recent recurrence of SARS in Toronto.
Official optimism about the epidemic affects people's psychology and social activities. For example, former Department of Health chief Lee Ming-liang (
This must have been the reason why President Chen Shui-bian (
For this reason optimism can reverse public over-reaction toward the epidemic, but it may not necessarily be good for epidemic control or people's vigilance. Facts tell us that to let down your guard is to create a big loophole in epidemic control. This is one reason hospitals became centers of infection.
Because the World Health Organization believes the epidemic has subsided in Asia, the Cabinet's SARS prevention and relief committee said on Tuesday that it would review the quarantine measures imposed on people arriving in this country. The Executive Yuan's optimism appears premature. SARS has taken more than 80 lives in this country alone. The epidemic has merely subsided -- it is not yet under control. Yet the Executive Yuan can't wait to review its quarantine measures.
Medical experts around the world have reached a unanimous conclusion that quarantine is the most effective measure against highly infectious diseases such as SARS. On Tuesday, the National Taiwan University Hospital made public results of its virus studies showing the SARS infections in this country can be traced to China and Hong Kong.
At present the government maintains a 10-day home quarantine requirement for people arriving from areas listed by the WHO as SARS-affected areas. China, Hong Kong and Toronto are on that list. Toronto's experience with a SARS resurgence tells us that any loophole in epidemic control can make the entire country's efforts in vain. Toronto was taken off the WHO's list for a while, but now it is back on it.
Taiwan has been improving its epidemic control measures. We hope the government will make people's lives and health its top priority.
The WHO still has doubts about the rapidly falling SARS figures in China. Non-cooperation from China could cause the SARS epidemic to make a comeback anytime.
We call on the WHO to undertake strict investigations before removing China from its list of affected areas, instead of just relying on figures released by the Chinese authorities. For Taiwan, any relaxation in the epidemic control measures must be premised on complete control of the epidemic.
In the event of a war with China, Taiwan has some surprisingly tough defenses that could make it as difficult to tackle as a porcupine: A shoreline dotted with swamps, rocks and concrete barriers; conscription for all adult men; highways and airports that are built to double as hardened combat facilities. This porcupine has a soft underbelly, though, and the war in Iran is exposing it: energy. About 39,000 ships dock at Taiwan’s ports each year, more than the 30,000 that transit the Strait of Hormuz. About one-fifth of their inbound tonnage is coal, oil, refined fuels and liquefied natural gas (LNG),
To counter the CCP’s escalating threats, Taiwan must build a national consensus and demonstrate the capability and the will to fight. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often leans on a seductive mantra to soften its threats, such as “Chinese do not kill Chinese.” The slogan is designed to frame territorial conquest (annexation) as a domestic family matter. A look at the historical ledger reveals a different truth. For the CCP, being labeled “family” has never been a guarantee of safety; it has been the primary prerequisite for state-sanctioned slaughter. From the forced starvation of 150,000 civilians at the Siege of Changchun
The two major opposition parties, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), jointly announced on Tuesday last week that former TPP lawmaker Chang Chi-kai (張啟楷) would be their joint candidate for Chiayi mayor, following polling conducted earlier this month. It is the first case of blue-white (KMT-TPP) cooperation in selecting a joint candidate under an agreement signed by their chairpersons last month. KMT and TPP supporters have blamed their 2024 presidential election loss on failing to decide on a joint candidate, which ended in a dramatic breakdown with participants pointing fingers, calling polls unfair, sobbing and walking
In recent weeks, Taiwan has witnessed a surge of public anxiety over the possible introduction of Indian migrant workers. What began as a policy signal from the Ministry of Labor quickly escalated into a broader controversy. Petitions gathered thousands of signatures within days, political figures issued strong warnings, and social media became saturated with concerns about public safety and social stability. At first glance, this appears to be a straightforward policy question: Should Taiwan introduce Indian migrant workers or not? However, this framing is misleading. The current debate is not fundamentally about India. It is about Taiwan’s labor system, its
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