Celebrity group S.H.E and the John Tung Foundation yesterday urged the public to help create a smoke-free environment by actively reporting those who violate the new Tobacco Hazards Prevention and Control Act (菸害防治法).
The amendment not only indirectly raises the price of cigarettes by doubling the tobacco health and welfare surcharge, but also prohibits smoking in public spaces including schools with students in grade 12 or under, government agencies, financial institutions, public transportation, offices with three or more people, restaurants, hotels and shopping areas. It goes into effect on Jan. 11.
“Sixty-nine countries in the world are now enforcing policies on smoke-free environments. This amendment allows Taiwan to catch up with those countries,” said Milton Shieh (謝孟雄), chairman of the anti-smoking John Tung Foundation.
At the film studio where the teen idols were preparing to shoot a TV commercial promoting smoke-free environments, S.H.E shared personal stories about their fight against smoking.
Because of the nature of her work, Selina said she often sees people smoking in smoking rooms, adding that this looked like a way of committing suicide.
Many people only quit smoking when they discover they have health problems, but if people refused cigarettes when they were young, they would avoid such painful experiences when older, she said.
The Bureau of Health Promotion has announced that those who see individuals or businesses violating the new act after it comes into effect next month can report them by providing local health departments with basic information about the violators, as well as photos or videos, if available, to serve as evidence.
Those who are afraid that reporting violations would offend fellow coworkers can instead contact the foundation, which would then report the case to local health departments, said Lin Ching-li (林清麗), chief of the foundation’s tobacco hazard prevention section.
Taiwan yesterday condemned the recent increase in Chinese coast guard-escorted fishing vessels operating illegally in waters around the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the South China Sea. Unusually large groupings of Chinese fishing vessels began to appear around the islands on Feb. 15, when at least six motherships and 29 smaller boats were sighted, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a news release. While CGA vessels were dispatched to expel the Chinese boats, Chinese coast guard ships trespassed into Taiwan’s restricted waters and unsuccessfully attempted to interfere, the CGA said. Due to the provocation, the CGA initiated an operation to increase
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
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