Sun, Nov 11, 2007 page3

• Taiwan Quick Take

  • STAFF WRITER, WITH CNA
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  ■ DEFENSE

  Sky divers to give show

  Ten paratroopers from the Army's Airborne Brigade Sky Diving Team (神龍小組) will land in the square in front of Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall this morning. The show is scheduled to begin at 8:50am. This will be the first time the Airborne Brigade Sky Diving Team has landed in the city. The performance has been postponed several times because of poor weather. The team includes Sergeant Tseng Ying-chih (曾英志), the nation's only paratrooper with more than 1,000 jumps, and Staff Sergeant Cheng Yu-shan (鄭有珊), the only female Sky Diving Team member participating in today's show. The Marines' Amphibious Reconnaissance and Patrol Unit, its taekwondo team and the Military Police's Special Service will also perform at the same venue.

  ■ LAW

  Curbing drunk driving

  The National Police Agency said it could increase fines on drunk driving to help prevent accidents caused by drunken drivers, an agency official said yesterday. The agency proposed raising the fines to a range of NT$30,000 (US$924) to NT$60,000 to better clamp down on driving while intoxicated. The current Statute Governing the Punishment of Violation of Road Traffic Regulations (道路交通管理處罰條例) calls for fines for drunk driving of NT$15,000 to NT$60,000. However, he said current fines were not significantly curbing drunk driving, which is still the leading cause of traffic accidents. The agency recommended the Ministry of Transportation and Communications use Japan's road traffic regulations, amended by the Japanese Cabinet in June, as a reference when crafting more serious penalties for drunk drivers.

  ■ LAW

  Satisfaction with courts rises

  Public satisfaction with civil sanctions imposed by Taiwanese courts has increased significantly, the results of a survey released yesterday by the Judicial Yuan showed. The survey of 6,160 concerned parties was conducted between June and September. A similar survey was carried out in 2004. The latest survey found that 70 percent of respondents were satisfied with the outcome, up 12.7 percentage points from 2004, with the dissatisfaction rate decreasing 7.3 percentage points. Seventy-one percent were satisfied with the speed of the procedure, up 20 percentage points from 2004, with the dissatisfaction rate declining 10.7 percentage points. The satisfaction rates with the attitudes of the judges, clerks and bailiffs implementing the sanctions all registered more than 70 percent, up 13 percent to 21 percent from 2004.

  ■ ANIMALS

  More help to neuter pets

  The Kaohsiung City Government said it has revised its quota for pet neutering. Prior to the change, residents aged 15 and over were only eligible to receive a subsidy to neuter one cat or dog. Kaohsiung City Economic Affairs Bureau director-general Tsay Wu-der (蔡武德) said the quota has been raised to three because pet owners usually own more than one pet. Pet owners will receive a NT$1,000 subsidy to neuter each female cat or dog and NT$500 for each male, Tsay said. Kaohsiung residents wanting to apply for the subsidies should bring cats or dogs that have received rabies vaccines and have ID chip implants to animal hospitals that are part of the bureau's Livestock Health and Inspection Laboratory. The bureau expects to subsidize 1,000 operations this year, Tsay said, adding that applications should be submitted by Dec. 15.
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