APPOINTMENT NEEDED: Officials need to discuss the timing, cost and vaccine locations, and would reveal the details next week at the soonest, Chen Shih-chung said
The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday said it plans to release 10,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine for people to get vaccinated at their own expense. It also said that 10 local government heads would be vaccinated tomorrow. There would be eligibility requirements for people to get vaccinated out-of-pocket, such as a need to travel abroad to study, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the CECC. Chen made the announcement on the sidelines the Asia-Pacific Social Innovation Summit. The center is planning to release part of the AstraZeneca vaccines in its stock for people to get vaccinated at their own expense, but the timing, cost, vaccination locations and other details need to be further discussed, he said, adding that an official announcement would be made next week at the soonest. “Our goal is to release 10,000 doses... Our current plan is for them [people] to get vaccinated at hospitals where the vaccine is being offered now,” Chen said when asked how many doses would be made available and where. Asked if Taiwanese businesspeople in China could apply to get vaccinated at their own expense, Chen said: “The quarantine rules in China are relatively tight, so getting vaccinated or not does not matter too much, but if they express such a demand, we would consider including them.” Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), who is the CECC’s spokesperson, said people would need to make an appointment to get vaccinated so that hospitals can make arrangements in advance, as each multidose vial of the AstraZeneca vaccine contains 10 doses. As eligibility for government-funded vaccines is to be expanded to include second and third priority groups tomorrow, Chuang said: “We have received information that 10 local government heads will get vaccinated on Monday [tomorrow], so the center wants to express its gratitude
The White House on Friday said it was keeping a close watch on increased Chinese military activities in the Taiwan Strait and called Beijing’s recent actions potentially destabilizing. “We have ... clearly — publicly, privately — expressed our concerns, our growing concerns, about China’s aggression toward Taiwan,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters. “We’ve seen a concerning increase in PRC [People’s Republic of China] military activity in the Taiwan Strait, which we believe is potentially destabilizing,” she said when asked if Washington was concerned about a possible Chinese invasion. Taiwan has complained over the past few months of repeated missions by China’s air force near the nation, concentrated in the southwestern part of its air defense identification zone (ADIZ) near the Taiwan-controlled Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島). On Friday, 11 Chinese People’s Liberation Army aircraft flew into Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ, the Ministry of National Defense said. The fleet included J-10 and J-16 fighter jets, electronic warfare and marine patrol aircraft, it said. Taiwan’s air force responded by sending patrol aircraft to the area and monitoring the Chinese planes with its air-defense missile systems, it added. Beijing on Thursday blamed the US for tensions over Taiwan after a US warship sailed close to the nation, asking rhetorically whether China would sail in the Gulf of Mexico as a “show of strength.” On Monday, China said a Chinese aircraft carrier group was conducting exercises close to Taiwan, and on Wednesday a US warship sailed through the Strait. China believes the US is colluding with Taiwan to challenge Beijing and giving support to those who want the nation to declare formal independence. Additional reporting by Bloomberg
Chinese regulators yesterday hit e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (阿里巴巴) with a record 18.2 billion yuan (US$2.78 billion) fine over practices deemed to be an abuse of the company’s dominant market position. Alibaba, the Chinese e-commerce leader cofounded by Jack Ma (馬雲) and one of the world’s most valuable companies, said it accepted the penalty and pledged to outline plans yesterday for bringing its operations into compliance. The fine appeared to cap a government crackdown on major Chinese tech platforms, and Alibaba in particular, over allegations of anti-competitive behavior and misuse of consumer data. The Chinese State Administration for Market Regulation said it assessed the fine after concluding an investigation into Alibaba that began in December last year. The probe centered on Alibaba’s practice of forbidding merchants who wish to sell their wares on its online marketplaces from simultaneously offering them on rival e-commerce sites. “Since 2015, Alibaba Group has abused its dominant position in the market” with the exclusivity requirement, the regulator said. The requirement harmed competition, innovation, and the interests of merchants and consumers, the administration added. The fine was a record and nearly three times the almost US$1 billion levied against Qualcomm Inc in 2015, Bloomberg said. The size of the penalty was determined after the market watchdog decided to fine Alibaba 4 percent of its 2019 sales of 455.7 billion yuan. Shortly after the decision was announced, Alibaba issued a contrite statement that used many of the government’s recent talking points on the issue, pledging to make changes to safeguard fair competition. “We accept the penalty with sincerity and will ensure our compliance with determination,” it said. The company added that it would hold a conference call with investors tomorrow to share its “thoughts and plans for the long-term healthy development of our business in the future.” “We are committed to ensuring an operating environment for
The Ministry of Education would spend NT$360 million (US$12.66 million) annually to hire an additional 300 foreign teachers to meet the government’s goal of widespread English fluency by 2030, the ministry said yesterday. There are 81 foreign teachers of English working in the nation’s public schools, and the government hopes to hire 300 more such teachers starting in August, K-12 Education Administration division head Wu Hsiao-hsia (武曉霞) said. The ministry has begun accepting applications and invites candidates to apply before May 15, she said, adding that applications can be made online at https://tfetp.epa.ntnu.edu.tw. The ministry in 2004 began assisting counties and municipalities with hiring foreign teachers of English, prioritizing schools in rural communities, Wu said. The additional funding for the new hires would bring the total subsidies it provides for English-language education to NT$460 million annually, she said. The ministry has cooperated with National Taiwan Normal University and National Chung Cheng University to establish separate hiring centers for northern and southern Taiwan respectively, she said. The centers have collaborated to create the online application system, and are handling the administrative work associated with the international hiring process, training and guidance for arriving teachers, she said. The ministry would also seek to improve cooperation between schools and nearby universities and language-resource centers, to make the process smoother for foreign teachers and the schools that employ them, Wu said. The universities and centers could help foreign teachers overcome cultural differences, she added. “We hope that bringing in more foreign teachers can give students more opportunities to speak English, while also helping Taiwanese teachers improve their ability to teach in English,” the ministry said.
REACHING BACK: The changes, aimed at preventing individuals from creating entities to avoid capital gains taxes, would apply retroactively to transactions dating to 2016
The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved amendments to the Income Tax Act (所得稅法) that are on July 1 to place a 45 percent capital gains tax on individuals and businesses selling real estate within two years of purchase. The bill, intended to curb real-estate speculation, was passed after legislators in interparty negotiations on Wednesday resolved areas of disagreement, including setting July 1 for the changes to take effect. The revisions are aimed at improving the “integrated house and land transaction income tax,” which was introduced in 2016 to reduce speculation, especially in the residential housing market, but has failed to act as a deterrent amid high liquidity and low interest rates. Under the changes, the tax on individuals and businesses would be set at 45 percent on gains from the sale of property within two years of purchase and 35 percent on gains from properties sold within two to five years of purchase. Currently, the 45 percent rate applies only to gains on property sales within the first year of purchase, while the 35 percent rate applies only on sales made within one to two years of purchase. Those rates only apply to individuals. Businesses pay an across-the-board rate of 20 percent on such gains under corporate income tax rules. By imposing the same tax rate on individuals and businesses, the bill aims to prevent individuals from setting up companies to trade property and pay only 20 percent on their gains. For people and companies buying property from outside Taiwan, the 45 percent tax would apply to gains on property sales within two years of purchase, up from one year, after which the rate would remain at a flat 35 percent, according to the bill. The tax on individuals for gains on properties sold five to 10 years after purchase would be 20 percent, and 15 percent thereafter. For companies,
TAKING A STAND: With thousands of Burmese migrants and immigrants in Taiwan, the nation has a responsibility to denounce the violent crackdown, a legislator said
The Legislative Yuan yesterday passed a resolution to support an effort by the international community to restore democracy and human rights in Myanmar, while urging the country’s military to end the violence against unarmed protesters. The legislative caucuses of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and New Power Party (NPP) separately proposed resolutions to call for democracy in Myanmar, which lawmakers then reconciled through a motion to amend. The resolution, which gained cross-party support, stated that Myanmar’s military should resolve the conflict through peaceful and rational dialogue aimed at restoring democracy as soon as possible. The Burmese military’s use of force against protesters has resulted in many deaths and injuries, the resolution said. The UK, US and several EU member states have imposed sanctions on Myanmar in response to the violence, it added. “As a country that loves democracy, freedom and peace, Taiwan cannot accept the military of Myanmar’s use of armed force against civilians and its trampling of human rights,” it said. The legislature also demands that the government do more to protect Taiwanese residing in Myanmar and to make better use of Taiwanese businesspeople in the country as a conduit for information and relief, it said. Humanitarian visa extensions should be made available to Burmese living in Taiwan until the end of the crisis, the resolution said. “We believe Taiwan can play a more active role in the democratization of the world,” DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said. “The junta in Myanmar has killed nearly 600 civilians and arrested nearly 3,000 people, and the situation continues to deteriorate even now,” he said. “The actions of the Burmese military have been widely condemned by the international community.” Taiwan is home to tens of thousands of Burmese and Taiwanese have significant investments in the country, he said. “Taiwan has a responsibility to unequivocally denounce the junta’s violent crackdown on dissent and give
The UN’s special envoy for Myanmar is to embark on an Asian tour to step up diplomatic efforts to tackle the crisis, as the death toll from the junta’s crackdown on dissent yesterday passed 600. The push by Christine Schraner Burgener comes amid mounting international concern at events in Myanmar, rocked by daily protests since the military ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and seized power on Feb. 1. Burgener starts her trip in Thailand and is also to visit China, although exact details and timings for her trip have not been confirmed. At least 614 civilians have been killed in the military’s crackdown on protests and nearly 3,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, a local monitoring group. There was more bloodshed early yesterday, with rescue workers reporting at least four people killed when security forces broke up protest barricades in Bago, 65km northeast of Yangon. UN rights officials said the military is making increasing use of heavy weaponry, including rocket-propelled and fragmentation grenades, heavy machine guns and snipers. The violent response has drawn intense international criticism and on Thursday Washington imposed another set of sanctions, this time on Myanmar’s state gem company, as it seeks to deprive the junta of sources of income. Burgener wants face-to-face meetings with the generals, but she has not received permission to visit Myanmar. “She, of course, stands ready to resume dialogue with the military to contribute to a return to Myanmar’s democratic path, peace and stability,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. As well as China — a key player with historical links to the military and which more recently cultivated close relations with Aung San Suu Kyi — Burgener also hopes to visit member countries of regional bloc ASEAN. “As she has highlighted repeatedly, a robust international response to the ongoing crisis in Myanmar requires a unified regional
US senators on Thursday unveiled broad legislation on China that would step up pressure over Beijing’s alleged theft of intellectual property and solidify US ties with Taiwan. In a rare bipartisan initiative in the polarized US Congress, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee together presented the strategic competition act, which aims to govern the fraught US relationship with Beijing. “The United States government must be clear-eyed and sober about Beijing’s intentions and actions, and calibrate our policy and strategy accordingly,” said US Senator Bob Menendez, the Democrat who leads the committee. The act describes sanctions as “a powerful tool” for the US and voices concern that the executive branch “has not fully implemented” measures already approved by Congress. If passed, the act would require the secretary of state to issue an annual list of all Chinese state-owned companies that have benefitted from intellectual property theft that hurt any US company or sector. It would also reaffirm strong US support of Taiwan, which has historically enjoyed wide bipartisan backing in Congress. The legislation would require the US to use “the same nomenclature and protocol” in dealing with Taiwan as with any foreign government, although it would maintain that Washington recognizes only Beijing. The US must retain “credibility as a defender of the democratic values and free-market principles embodied by Taiwan’s people and government,” the act said. It would also seek assessments on rape, forced abortion and other gender-based violence against Uighurs, in addition to previously required reporting on incarceration and other mistreatment of the mostly Muslim people. Rights experts say that more than 1 million Uighurs and other minorities have been rounded up in the western region of Xinjiang in a campaign the US describes as genocide. Beijing says that it is providing vocational training to reduce the allure of Islamic extremism. Beijing also denies US
Britain’s Prince Philip, a constant presence at Queen Elizabeth II’s side for decades, died yesterday at age 99, Buckingham Palace announced. The death of the Duke of Edinburgh is a profound loss for the 94-year-old monarch, who once described him as her “strength and stay all these years.” The outspoken former navy commander devoted much of his life as the queen’s consort to charity work — but was notorious for numerous gaffes, many deemed downright offensive. He was hospitalized on Feb. 16 and went home after a month during which he was treated for a pre-existing heart condition and an infection. Announcing his passing, BBC television played the national anthem over a picture of Philip in his prime, dressed in military dress uniform Philip, who was by the queen’s side for nearly eight decades, retired from public duties in 2017 at the age of 96. His death came just months before his 100th birthday in June — an event typically marked in Britain with a congratulatory message from the queen, who is Britain’s longest-serving monarch. The couple, who celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary in November last year, had been living largely in isolation at Windsor Castle, west of London, because their advanced age put them at heightened risk from COVID-19. Philip and the queen received their first vaccinations against the virus in January. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Philip had made few public appearances.
AIMED AT TAIWAN? Institute for National Defense and Security Research research fellow Ou Si-fu said chips can be ‘bought off the shelf’ and then used in weapons
The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) yesterday said that chips from Taiwanese semiconductor companies were not making their way into Chinese missiles “to the best of our knowledge.” A report in yesterday’s Washington Post alleged that a Chinese company named Phytium Technology Co (飛騰) used chips made by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), along with US software, in advanced Chinese military systems. “TSMC has long placed strict controls on their chips. The export of high-tech products from Taiwan is also highly regulated,” Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) said. “According to our understanding, none of the end uses for those products was military,” she added. “To the best of our knowledge, TSMC’s exports not only meet Taiwanese standards, they also comply with applicable US regulations,” Wang said. “If information emerges that shows differently, we will of course investigate.” Given the high volume of chip exports from Taiwan, the Bureau of Foreign Trade would educate exporters more to ensure that Taiwanese and international regulations are being followed, Wang said. “TSMC has a rigorous export control system in place, including a robust assessment and review process on shipments to specific entities that are subject to export control restrictions,” the chipmaker said in an e-mailed response to the report. “Moreover, TSMC has put in place processes to help identify abnormal circumstances in a transaction with due-diligence follow-up. With these processes already in place, we are not aware of a product manufactured by TSMC that was destined for military end-use, as alleged in the coverage,” it said. The Washington Post article cites Ou Si-fu (歐錫富), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research (國防安全研究院), as well as an anonymous analyst. Ou told the Taipei Times by telephone that he cannot speak specifically in regards to Phytium, but that the use of Taiwanese chips in Chinese military equipment
CLASSIFIED: Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng had disciplinary investigations opened on as many as 100 officers, an ‘Apple Daily’ source reported
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday denied that there were mass dismissals after reportedly classified images of a top-secret radar system were leaked to the military’s own Youth Daily News. The online article published on March 26 — which has since been taken down — reported on the Navy 151st Amphibious Fleet’s mission to resupply Magong City (馬公) in Penghu County, and was purportedly written by a political warfare officer serving on the tank landing ship ROCNS Chung Ho. While the article itself did not contain sensitive information, highly classified aspects of a mobile anti-stealth passive radar system designed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology were visible in two images used for the report. First deployed in 2018, the radar system is reportedly capable of detecting the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) much-vaunted J-20 stealth fighter. The images were republished on Monday last week by the English-language military aviation Web site Alert5 in an article titled “Taiwan Has Deployed Anti-Stealth Passive Radar System in Penghu.” The Chinese-language Apple Daily reported that the ministry was unaware of the breach until US officials contacted Taipei via national security channels, while the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) said that some of the officials were with the American Institute in Taiwan. The misstep angered Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正), the Apple Daily added. Yesterday, Chiu had disciplinary investigations opened on as many as 100 officers of the Naval Fleet Command and the Political Warfare Bureau, which runs the Youth Daily News, the Apple Daily said, citing an anonymous source reported to be a general officer at the ministry. More than 20 officers could receive reprimands or other disciplinary actions over the secrecy breach, it quoted the source as saying. “An earthquake is coming to the ministry,” the source added. “Operational security is a basic component of a
Those needing to travel abroad should be able to buy a COVID-19 vaccine by the end of this month at the earliest, pending an official announcement next week, Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said yesterday. An expected 5,000 to 10,000 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine are to be set aside for purchase by those with a specified need to travel, said Chuang, who is also the Central Epidemic Command Center’s (CECC) spokesman. Whether doses would be limited to business travelers or could include leisure travelers needs further discussion, he said, adding that a vaccination timeline is to be announced next week at the earliest. The nation has thus far received two batches of the AstraZeneca vaccine. One batch of 117,000 doses is to expire on June 15, while another of 199,200 doses is to expire at the end of next month. CECC figures showed that only about 20,000 people had received the vaccine as of Wednesday. To speed up vaccinations, the CECC on Wednesday announced that all those in the first, second and third priority groups would be eligible to receive a vaccine from Monday next week. This is to include frontline health and port-of-entry workers, caregivers, certain government officials, rescue workers, flight crews, “disease prevention” taxi drivers and others at relatively high risk of infection. After eligibility is expanded, the center is to discuss opening up the rollout list to those in the fourth priority group, which includes diplomats and others with a need to travel, Chuang said. As for concerns over the safety of the AstraZeneca vaccine, Chuang said that it is currently the only one available in Taiwan, although the Moderna vaccine is to be available from next month. A local vaccine is likely to be available after July, while additional doses through the COVAX global vaccine-sharing program are under discussion, he said. The
The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday charged Xiang Xin (向心), a suspected Chinese intelligence officer, and his wife, Kung Ching (龔青), with money laundering and breaches of the National Security Act (國家安全法) in a case related to self-professed Chinese spy William Wang Liqiang (王立強). Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) spokesman Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said that the council respects the judiciary, declining to comment on an individual case. The Chinese government has been using Taiwan’s democracy and freedoms to infiltrate society, Chiu said, adding that the government must tighten laws when necessary. It is the first formal indictment of Xiang and Kung, who were stopped at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Nov. 24, 2019, when attempting to flee on an outbound flight, one day after Australian media aired interviews with Wang. Wang told reporters that he had conducted espionage in Taiwan, saying that Xiang was China’s spy directing espionage activities, intelligence gathering and covert operations in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The couple had registered China Innovation Investment Ltd (中國創新投資) in Taipei, with Xiang as executive director and Kung as acting director, prosecutors said, adding that they invested in real estate, purchasing three luxury condominium units in Taipei’s Xinyi District (信義). Over the past decade, the couple had illegally transferred about NT$740 million (US$26.03 million at the current exchange rate), mainly from the Shanghai-based Guotai Investment Holding Group (國太投資), prosecutors said. In 2018, a Shanghai court sentenced Guotai Investment executives to prison for terms ranging from 12 years to life after they were found guilty of earning 40 billion yuan (US$6.11 billion at the current exchange rate) from illegal investment schemes. The business was dissolved. Yesterday’s indictment said that Xiang and Kung laundered money for Guotai Investment executives. The money first went to a Hong Kong company owned by the couple, before being transferred to China Innovation Investment in Taiwan. In addition to
Britain yesterday condemned “bullying” by the Burmese military after the Burmese ambassador to London was ousted in an extraordinary diplomatic coup after calling for the release of Burmese State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi. Diplomats loyal to the Burmese military authorities on Wednesday seized control of the embassy, leaving Burmese Ambassador to London Kyaw Zwar Minn locked out in the street. The ambassador said that the defense attache had taken over the mission in “a kind of coup,” two months after the military seized power in Myanmar. Daily protests demanding a return of democracy have rocked the country and brought a brutal response from the armed forces, with almost 600 civilians killed, a local monitoring group said. The coup prompted several high-profile diplomatic defections, including the country’s ambassador to the UN. Last month, the junta recalled Kyaw Zwar Minn, after he issued a statement urging them to release Aung San Suu Kyi and deposed Burmese President Win Myint. British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Dominic Raab posted on Twitter his support for the ambassador, who spent the night in his vehicle outside the embassy. “We condemn the bullying actions of the Myanmar military regime in London yesterday, and I pay tribute to Kyaw Zwar Minn for his courage,” Raab wrote. “The UK continues to call for an end to the coup and the appalling violence, and a swift restoration of democracy.” The Burmese authorities had given official notice of Kyaw Zwar Minn’s termination as ambassador and in line with diplomatic policy, so the government had no choice but to accept it, UK sources said. On Wednesday evening, protesters gathered outside the mission with the ousted ambassador, who told the Daily Telegraph that “when I left the embassy, they stormed inside the embassy and took it.” Asked who had taken over, he said: “Defense attache — they
STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS: The Human Resource Review Committee said the alleged misdeeds of 25 judges suspected of corruption took place too long ago
The investigation into the Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾) case would hold all judicial personnel involved accountable to the strictest interpretation of the law, Judicial Yuan President Hsu Tzong-li (許宗力) said yesterday, while pledging more action against misconduct to uphold the judiciary’s credibility. Hsu pledged to investigate the few judges who might be contravening laws to protect the work of honest judges and uphold the dignity of the judiciary. Weng, president of Chia Her Industrial Co (佳和), is accused of bribing 40 to 50 judicial workers, judges and prosecutors to obtain non-guilty or lighter sentences in four criminal cases. Weng allegedly gave them shirts and arranged expensive banquets for them. Weng’s actions came to light after the Control Yuan passed a motion to impeach Weng’s friend, former Commission on the Disciplinary Sanctions of Functionaries secretary-general Shih Mu-chin (石木欽), for allegedly breaching the Judges Act (法官法). Shih, who until 2017 served as a Supreme Court judge, did not recuse himself from cases involving Weng and allegedly provided Weng with legal advice, investigators from the Judicial Yuan and Ministry of Justice said. The ministry’s Human Resource Review Committee yesterday said that 26 judges should be punished for their involvement in the case, but only Supreme Administrative Court Judge Cheng Hsiao-kang (鄭小康) is suspected of breaching Article 51 of the Judges Act (法官法), and his case has been forwarded to the Control Yuan. The committee said that the other 25 judges could not be punished due to the statute of limitations. Cheng is the eighth judge whose case has been forwarded to the Control Yuan. The other judges, who are not among the 25, include former judges Lin Chi-fu (林奇福), Yen Nan-chuan (顏南全), Su Yi-chou (蘇義洲), Tseng Ping-shan (曾平杉), Chen Yi-chung (陳義仲) and Lin Chin-tsun (林金村). They were named in an investigative report released on Jan. 18, while Cheng and the other 25 judges were
‘UNSHIRKABLE’: President Tsai Ing-wen said instilling a safety-centric mindset and safety standards among construction workers is of the utmost importance
President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday laid out three major areas of reform for the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) following Friday last week’s fatal train crash, saying that there is no need to doubt the government’s determination, as reforming the agency is its “unshirkable responsibility.” Tsai made the remarks in a speech ahead of a Democratic Progressive Party Standing Committee meeting, during which she observed a minute’s silence for the victims of the Taroko Express crash, which killed 50 people and injured more than 200 after colliding with a truck as it was about to enter the Cingshuei Tunnel (清水隧道) in Hualien’s Sioulin Township (秀林). The accident “has affected everyone in the nation,” she said. “Everyone is mourning the passengers who lost their lives and are dismayed at the death of the young conductor,” she said, adding that because of this, “reforming the TRA is imperative.” The three main tasks are to solve problems in the agency’s organizational culture, fix its longstanding financial woes and discuss the best business model moving forward, the president said. Organizational adjustments would ensure that issues could be solved regionally, thereby increasing management efficiency and safety, she said. For example, each of the four major work units essential for running the railways should be able to communicate horizontally among themselves, rather than going through a superior, she said. As many have mentioned, instilling a safety-centric mindset and safety standards among construction workers is of the utmost importance, she added. No matter the agency’s business model, if management and safety issues are left unsolved, then the public’s expectations would remain unmet, Tsai said. Fixing the agency’s financials is next on the agenda, Tsai said. The TRA operates many unprofitable rail lines for the public good, causing it to consistently run at a loss, she said. Add to that worker pensions, asset activation and other expenses, and it adds
Eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines is to be further expanded to top government officials and workers with higher exposure risk from Monday next week, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, said that on Tuesday, the rollout list was expanded to include everyone in the first priority group — healthcare facility workers — or about 488,000 people. “We are now announcing that starting on April 12, the vaccine rollout list will be expanded to all of those in the first, second and third priority groups,” he said. In the second priority group are top government officials on the national and local levels who oversee disease prevention operations; frontline public health officials; frontline workers in the customs, immigration, quarantine and security sections of airports and ports, he said. Also in the second group are village and borough heads; home quarantine caregivers; paramedics, firefighters and rescue workers; and frontline coast guard and air ambulance personnel. In the third priority group are workers with higher exposure risk, such as crews on international flights and ships, disease prevention taxi drivers, frontline workers at airports and ports, frontline workers at quarantine hotels, and others that the center considers to be in urgent need of vaccination, Chen said. The second group has about 90,000 people and the third has about 35,000, he said, adding that 18,657 people had been vaccinated as of Tuesday. The CECC would ask local health departments to coordinate with COVID-19 hospitals so that outpatient sessions would be added and vaccine quotas increased, it said, adding that hospitals with experience giving flu shots should be recruited to give COVID-19 vaccines. By Friday next week, there should be 170 vaccination locations, the center said, adding that the Centers for Disease Control’s Web site has location information and appointment registration. Asked whether
The US government would not issue so-called “vaccine passports,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday, after Texas sought to limit their development because of privacy concerns. “The government is not now, nor will we be, supporting a system that requires Americans to carry a credential,” Psaki told reporters at the White House. “There will be no federal vaccinations database and no federal mandate requiring everyone to obtain a single vaccination credential.” The administration wants to protect Americans’ privacy and does not want vaccine passports “used against people unfairly,” Psaki said. Some businesses and universities are pushing for people to show proof of vaccination — for example, before boarding cruise ships, entering stadiums or returning to campus. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings plans to resume cruising from US ports from July 4 and would require vaccinations, it said. Brown University and Northeastern University on Tuesday joined a group of universities that are to require students to get a COVID-19 vaccine to return to campus in the fall. Vaccine passports are typically conceived of as smartphone apps showing that the holder has been vaccinated against COVID-19, easing travel and use of services, such as restaurants. The White House had said that any efforts should be led by the private and not-for-profit sectors. Several states have said that they would not facilitate such requirements. On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, issued an order forbidding state agencies or any entity receiving public money from requiring vaccine passports. That effort follows a similar ban by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, also a Republican, against the sort of Excelsior Pass established in New York state, which allows residents to verify their vaccinations or negative test results before entering concert venues or stadiums. Psaki said guidance would be given that “provides important answers to questions that Americans have, in particular around concerns about privacy, security
South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s Democratic Party was headed for its worst defeat in five years in mayoral elections in South Korea’s two biggest cities, a troubling sign for his progressive bloc just 11 months ahead of a presidential vote. Exit polling released after the close of voting yesterday showed conservative Oh Se-hoon, on pace to win in the race in Seoul over ruling party candidate Park Young-sun, a former minister for start-ups. Oh led an exit poll with 59 percent to Park’s 37 percent, Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) reported. In Busan, Park Hyung-jun of the conservative People Power Party was also well ahead of Kim Young-choon from Moon’s ruling party, KBS said, citing a poll. Final results were not expected until early today, but a key issue in the race was anger over housing prices in big cities, where prices have soared under Moon. Losses in the cities that account for about one-quarter of South Korea’s population could slam the brakes on Moon’s agenda to increase public employment and a push for larger fiscal spending. It would also serve as warning to his Democratic Party that it needs to revamp its policies if it wants to keep the presidency when Moon’s single, five-year term ends next year. If the polling numbers hold up, it would mean a stunning reversal for Moon and his allies. They won a supermajority in parliamentary elections about one year ago, riding a wave of public support for their management of the COVID-19 crisis. Moon’s party has scored a series of victories in the wake of the 2016 impeachment of former South Korean president Park Geun-hye, a conservative leader later convicted of corruption. Amid the anger over housing and stumbles in virus management, Moon’s support rating hit a new low last week, following allegations that employees of a state-run land corporation used insider information to
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