■ Society
Suicide numbers on the rise
Suicides have doubled in the past 10 years, and 10 percent of Taiwan's university students have attempted suicide, according to a medical report published yesterday. The suicide rate has increased from 6.24 suicides per 100,000 population to 14 suicides per 100,000 population. Last year 3,195 people ended their lives, averaging 8.75 suicides per day, or one suicide every 2.7 hours, the report by the Taiwan Society of Psychia-trists said. "The number of suicides could be under-estimated because many `accidental deaths' were in fact suicides," the society said in the report. The report also warned that many students have contemplated suicide. A survey of 3,848 college students showed that 10.2 percent of them attempted suicide in the past year. A survey of 296 elementary school pupils showed that eight or nine of them have inflicted physical harm on themselves in the past year.
■ Defense
Lee inspects blast site
Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑) yesterday inspected an ammunition depot in Kaohsiung where three soldiers were killed in a blast on Saturday. Lee also visited the families of Second Lieutenant Hung Tuan-lung (洪端隆), Sergeant Huang Chien-che (黃健哲) and Private First Class Yang Wu-chang (楊武璋) to offer apologies and condolences. In addition to ordering an immediate investigation into the cause of the explosion, Lee suggested that a memorial be erected to serve as a reminder for all military members to be vigilant. Family members of the three complained that they did not receive notice of the accident until 4pm, more than an hour after the 2:50pm explosion. They asked the authorities to probe the case thoroughly so that their loved ones will not have died in vain. Lee said experts from the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology will conduct a forensic investigation to determine the cause of the explosion.
■ Health
Number of alcoholics rising
Alcoholism is connected to heredity and the number of alcoholics in Taiwan is increasing steadily, a local psychiatrist said yesterday. Chen Chiao-chi (陳喬琪), deputy director of the Taipei City Psychiatric Center, said at a seminar on mental health that foreign academic studies have confirmed correlation between alcoholism and heredity. "Statistics show that if one identical twin is an alcoholic, 75 percent of their siblings also suffer from alcoholism. The ratio among fraternal twins is 50 percent," Chen said, adding that the alcoholism is more likely to be passed onto males than to females. The studies also show that those born to alcoholic parents are 10 times more likely to suffer alcoholism than those from non-alcoholic families, Chen said.
■ Society
Macau's Ho eyes casino
Macau casino godfather Stanley Ho (何鴻燊) said on Saturday that he would be very interested in opening a casino/hotel on Penghu Island if the government gives a green light to such business. In an interview with Taiwanese reporters, Ho said his company, Melco International Development, would be glad to invest in Penghu if casino operations are permitted there. Ho said that he has been to Penghu and came away with a strong impression of the scenic environment there. If Macau is given the chance, his company might channel investment to the tune of HK$15 billion (US$1.9 billion) into Penghu to build a casino kingdom there, he said.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
Yangmingshan National Park authorities yesterday urged visitors to respect public spaces and obey the law after a couple was caught on a camera livestream having sex at the park’s Qingtiangang (擎天崗) earlier in the day. The Shilin Police Precinct in Taipei said it has identified a suspect and his vehicle registration number, and would summon him for questioning. The case would be handled in accordance with public indecency charges, it added. The couple entered the park at about 11pm on Thursday and began fooling around by 1am yesterday, the police said, adding that the two were unaware of the park’s all-day live
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