There's little the post office can do to prevent someone from receiving materials contaminated with anthrax, the Directorate General of Posts said yesterday.
Fears of the deadly bacterium have spread worldwide, after four people in the US tested positive for anthrax.
Globally, there have been countless hoaxes and discoveries of suspicious letters that later turned out to be harmless.
According to Hsu Jung-chung (
With the approval of a prosecutor, investigators would be permitted to open mail to check the contents inside.
"The staff have a heightened sense of alertness," Hsu said. "For example, letters lacking a return address are not delivered."
In addition, an envelope or package whose weight doesn't correspond to its size will also be held.
Hsu said that postal workers have been trained to be on the lookout for hazardous materials, but until now the threat hasn't included anthrax. "Explosives were our major concern," Hsu said.
He said all packages are examined by X-ray in order to find hidden explosives. Suspicious parcels are turned over to police.
Police used to be stationed at major post offices nationwide but the practice was discontinued about a decade ago, Hsu said.
"In any case, no one can detect anthrax spores hidden inside mail unless you open and examine the mail," he said. "Preventing anthrax bacteria from being delivered is totally different from screening for explosives."
The postal service has designated special staff to deliver mail to top government officials after the items were inspected by X-ray. But because no one in the post office opens mailed items, it's impossible to prevent anthrax from being delivered.
The Directorate General of Posts said the public would have to be on guard to protect themselves from hazardous items sent by mail.
For example, residents should be wary of mail sent by strangers or without a return address.
In addition, items marked "restricted" or "confidential" should also be viewed with suspicion. Likewise packages or letters that appear to contain circuits, tinfoil or have a strange odor.
The post office said residents should contact police before opening any suspicious mail.
In recent days, postal workers have been handling international mail while wearing masks and gloves to avoid contact with any bacteria. Staff have also been encouraged to wash their hands with soap after handling mail.
On average about 3.5 million letters, parcels, packages and express items are mailed to Taiwan from abroad each month, according to the directorate's international mail center.
In December and January, the figure jumps by 1 million with the influx of cards and gifts for the Christmas and New Year holidays.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
‘FORM OF PROTEST’: The German Institute Taipei said it was ‘shocked’ to see Nazi symbolism used in connection with political aims as it condemned the incident Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 yesterday amid an outcry over a Nazi armband he wore to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case on Tuesday night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and apparently covering the book with a coat. This is a serious international scandal and Chinese
COUNTERINTELLIGENCE TRAINING: The ministry said 87.5 percent of the apprehended Chinese agents were reported by service members they tried to lure into becoming spies Taiwanese organized crime, illegal money lenders, temples and civic groups are complicit in Beijing’s infiltration of the armed forces, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said in a report yesterday. Retired service members who had been turned to Beijing’s cause mainly relied on those channels to infiltrate the Taiwanese military, according to the report to be submitted to lawmakers ahead of tomorrow’s hearing on Chinese espionage in the military. Chinese intelligence typically used blackmail, Internet-based communications, bribery or debts to loan sharks to leverage active service personnel to do its bidding, it said. China’s main goals are to collect intelligence, and develop a
RSS