An Internet message warning Taipei residents to prepare for a massive earthquake between today and Monday should be ignored, seismologists at the Central Weather Bureau said yesterday.
The e-mail, which has been making the rounds since last month, says the quake could cause more than 50,000 casualties and was predicted by a "famous fortune-teller."
The message warns that the earthquake, exceeding 7 on the Richter scale, will strike Taipei during the daytime between today and July 8.
"No country in the world is capable of accurately predicting earthquakes," said Hsiao Nai-chi (
"Besides, the chances of such a powerful quake striking the Taipei Basin are very small."
The e-mail also claimed that officials from the weather bureau said past records indicate Taiwan has experienced a "major earthquake" once every 120 years -- and the last big temblor was in 1882.
But the weather bureau said yesterday there is no record of an earthquake affecting Taipei in 1882. In fact, Taiwan's seismological records are less than 120 years old.
Hsiao said the expanding motion of the Taipei Basin and its soft, thick sedimentary structure served to protect the city by hampering the accumulation of energy necessary to initiate powerful earthquakes.
Hsiao also said if Taipei residents fear earthquakes, they should be wary of those occurring in the Hualien area, as faults in the region are more active and close to Taipei Basin.
According to local media reports, the e-mail was circulated worldwide and some local residents had been warned about the temblor by their relatives living abroad.
Others have already decided to travel to other parts of the island during the period, hoping to escape the "catastrophe."
The Central Weather Bureau has also placed a notice on its Web site, saying there's no scientific basis for the prediction.
Under the Weather Law, those caught spreading false alarms or information regarding reports on weather, earthquakes, volcanos or seaquakes could face a fine up to NT$50,000.
Since the devastating 921 earthquake three years ago -- which registered 7.3 on the Richter scale and claimed nearly 2,400 lives -- earthquake predictions posted on the Internet from fortune-tellers, astrologers or "sages" claiming to foresee signs in ancient canons have proliferated.
After the 921 earthquake, Taiwan experienced two other major quakes on July 16, 2000 and March 31 this year, measuring 7.0 and 6.8 on the Richter scale respectively.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
RSS