CRIME
Policeman killed in Tainan
A Greater Tainan police officer died in the line of duty yesterday morning while apprehending a wanted drug smuggler. Four policemen with a search warrant were about to search the apartment of suspected drug smuggler Lee Kuo-lin (李國麟) when Lee shot at the officers through the door after they had identified themselves. First Investigation Team Captain Lin Hung-hsing (林宏星) was shot in the chest and died in an emergency room. Lee, though shot twice, was taken alive. Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德) visited Lin’s family after the arrest and pledged that the city government would work closely with the family and help with the funeral. Greater Tainan Police Department Chief Chen Tzu-jing (陳子敬) said it was sad to lose an officer in the line of duty, adding that the police department would reinforce its training. The officers were not wearing bullet-proof vests when they visited Lee’s residence to avoid alerting the suspect and were shot at while they were putting on their gear.
ENTERTAINMENT
Chang Mei-yao dies aged 71
Chang Mei-yao (張美瑤), an iconic Taiwanese actress adored as “The Forever Formosa Lady,” died in Taipei on April 1 at the age of 71, her family said in a statement on Wednesday. Chang’s two daughters issued the statement via the Public Television Service after holding a funeral for their mother earlier in the day. The statement did not mention the cause of Chang’s death. A native of Nantou County, Chang became one of the few Taiwanese actresses in the movie industry in the 1950s. Chang and actor Ko Chun-hsiung (柯俊雄) fell in love after they co-starred in a film in 1967. Chang suspended her acting career after their marriage. The couple divorced in 2004. In 2008, the organizing committee of the Golden Horse Film Awards presented a special award to Chang in recognition of her lifelong dedication to the Mandarin film industry.
DIPLOMACY
Japan office gets new head
Sumio Tarui, a former Japanese ambassador in charge of Okinawan affairs, was named as his country’s top representative to Taiwan earlier this week and will take office on April 24 as chief of the Taipei office of the Interchange Association, Japan, the association said in a statement. The association handles exchanges with Taiwan in the absence of official ties between the two countries. Tarui, 64, joined Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1971 and has since served as head of the ministry’s China Division, an envoy at Japan’s embassy in China, and permanent representative to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva. Meanwhile, Tadashi Imai, who has been serving as Japan’s representative to Taiwan since January 2010, has been appointed as the new president of the Interchange Association, the press release said.
CHARITY
Group asks for donations
To help domestic violence victims staying in shelters run by the Garden of Hope Foundation (GOH) faced with rising grocery bills, a women’s fitness center is calling for the donation of 20,000kg of food and grocery items, as well as NT$500,000 (US$17,000) in cash. The foundation’s executive director Chi Hui-jung (紀惠容) said the non-governmental organization serves over 20,000 women who are abuse victims or are pregnant out of wedlock. For details, contact the GOH hotline on (02) 8911-8595 or visit the Curves Web site at www.curves.com.tw.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
MEDICAL: The bills would also upgrade the status of the Ethical Guidelines Governing the Research of Human Embryos and Embryonic Stem Cell Research to law The Executive Yuan yesterday approved two bills to govern regenerative medicine that aim to boost development of the field. Taiwan would reach an important milestone in regenerative medicine development with passage of the regenerative medicine act and the regenerative medicine preparations ordinance, which would allow studies to proceed and treatments to be developed, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) told reporters at a news conference after a Cabinet meeting. Regenerative treatments have been used for several conditions, including cancer — by regenerating blood cells — and restoring joint function in soft tissue, Wang said. The draft legislation requires regenerative treatments
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese