Three people were indicted in Greater Taichung yesterday for their alleged roles in a deadly fire that engulfed a pub earlier this year.
Nine people were killed and 12 injured in an early-morning blaze at the ALA Pub in Greater Taichung on March 6, making it one of the nation’s deadliest fires in recent years.
During a performance, dancer Chu Chuan-yi (朱傳毅) had accidentally set fire to the ceiling of the pub with a torch, triggering the blaze at about 1:30am.
Greater Taichung Prosecutor Wu Tso-yen (吳祚延) announced yesterday that Chu and Wang Ming-che (王銘哲), the owner of the bar, were charged with accidental homicide by the Taichung District Court.
Wu said prosecutors were seeking a six-year prison sentence and a fine of NT$2 million (US$66,000) for Wang and three-and-a-half-years for Chu.
Chang Shang-yi (張尚義), an employee with the municipality’s government, was charged with corruption and faces five years in jail.
Wu said the pub was in violation of zoning regulations because it was operating in a residential district, and when the municipal government became aware of the violation in 2008, water and electricity supplies to the pub were stopped.
Wu said Wang then applied to have the services restored and hired a worker named Chiu Ching-fa (邱進發) to do the work.
Chang, who worked at the municipality’s Urban Development Department, oversaw the application and reportedly told an intermediary contact that Wang needed to pay him NT$5,000 to ensure water and electricity supplies would resume, which Wang allegedly did, Wu said.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
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