■ Cross-Strait Ties
China issues white paper
China's Taiwan Affairs Office announced yesterday it would agree to revoke the "one China" precondition for talks on direct links if Tai-wan would allow non-governmental bodies to act as negotiators. Unveiling a white paper on direct links, He Shizhong (何世忠), direc-tor of the office's economic bureau, stressed that nego-tiations on direct links are not of a "political nature."
He also said that air routes between Taiwan and China could not be defined as international routes. The office said Taiwan had destroyed the foundation for the Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Strait and the Straits Exchange Foun-dation to talk by rejecting the "one China" principle.
Pu Zhaozhou (浦照洲), director of the Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau Office under the Civil Aviation Administration of China, said Taiwan's plan to operate chartered cross-strait flights during the next Lunar New Year holiday may be aborted if Taipei refuses to allow non-governmental bodies to negotiate with China.
■ Health
Doctor indicted for accident
A female gynecologist was indicted yesterday for accidentally damaging a patient's hymen. According to the indictment filed by Taipei Prosecutor Chen Yi-dun (陳以敦), Dr. Huang Wen-chen (黃文貞), of Cathay General Hospital, damaged 33-year-old Hung Wen-wen's (洪文文) hymen with a speculator on Oct. 12 last year. According to the indictment, Huang had not explained to Hung that there was a chance the hymen would be damaged during the examination, but the doctor wrote in the patient's file that Hung was fully aware of and had agreed to all of Huang's actions. Huang was indicted on the charges of negligence for causing bodily harm and forging documents. If convicted, the doctor could face a 13-month jail sentence.
■ Animal rights
Strict enforcement urged
Legislators and animal-rights activists yesterday urged the government to strictly enforce the Animal Protection Law (動物保護法) in order to not only solve problems with stray animals but to also respect the value of life. On Tuesday, the Legislative Yuan revised the law, prohibiting trading in dog meat and slaughtering pets for a variety of purposes, including eating and the use of furs. Violators will be fined between NT$50,000 and NT$250,000 -- a sharp hike from the old law, which only called for fines ranging from NT$ 2,000 to NT$10,000. At a press conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday, Shen Jung-chen (沈蓉震), founder of the Care for Animals and Protect the Earth Organization, com-plained that local authorities have failed to take action
on her complaints about restaurants selling dog meat in Taipei, Kaohsiung and Pingtung counties. "If the government has no intention of enforcing the law strictly, the time spent revising the law will have been in vain," Shen said. Meanwhile, independent Legislator Su Yin-kuei (蘇盈貴) said the government needed to clarify statistics about stray dogs and improve methods used to capture such animals.
■ Kaohsiung
Mayor visits Bangkok
Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) is on a four-day visit in Thailand, Tai-wanese community sources in Bangkok said yesterday. Hsieh and his wife arrived in Bangkok on Tuesday night, the sources said. They said Hsieh will meet with Tai-wanese community leaders during his visit in addition to visiting major tourist sites.
staff writer, with agencies";
The first global hotel Keys Selection by the Michelin Guide includes four hotels in Taiwan, Michelin announced yesterday. All four received the “Michelin One Key,” indicating guests are to experience a “very special stay” at any of the locations as the establishments are “a true gem with personality. Service always goes the extra mile, and the hotel provides much more than others in its price range.” Of the four hotels, three are located in Taipei and one in Taichung. In Taipei, the One Key accolades were awarded to the Capella Taipei, Kimpton Da An Taipei and Mandarin Oriental Taipei. Capella Taipei was described by
EVA Airways today confirmed the death of a flight attendant on Saturday upon their return to Taiwan and said an internal investigation has been launched, as criticism mounted over a social media post accusing the airline of failing to offer sufficient employee protections. According to the post, the flight attendant complained of feeling sick on board a flight, but was unable to take sick leave or access medical care. The crew member allegedly did not receive assistance from the chief purser, who failed to heed their requests for medical attention or call an ambulance once the flight landed, the post said. As sick
The Taichung District Court yesterday confirmed its final ruling that the marriage between teenage heir Lai (賴) and a man surnamed Hsia (夏) was legally invalid, preventing Hsia from inheriting Lai’s NT$500 million (US$16.37 million) estate. The court confirmed that Hsia chose not to appeal the civil judgement after the court handed down its ruling in June, making the decision final. In the June ruling, the court said that Lai, 18, and Hsia, 26, showed “no mutual admiration before the marriage” and that their interactions were “distant and unfamiliar.” The judge concluded that the couple lacked the “true intention of
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
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