Two traditional Chinese medicine practitioners and a supplier have been indicted in a case of poisoning that allegedly caused at least eight people to fall ill in August, the Taichung District Prosecutors’ Office said on Wednesday.
The three, based in Taichung, were found to have breached the Physicians Act (醫師法), the office said.
They are: Sheng Tang Chinese Medicine Clinic chief practitioner Lu Shih-ming (呂世明), Jin Fu Chinese Medicine Clinic practitioner Hung Chang-hung (洪彰宏) and Hsin Lung Medicine Co head Ou Kuo-liang (歐國樑), the office said
They were released on Thursday on bail of NT$200,000 each, it added.
The case came to light in early August when Taichung City Councilor Chang Yen-tung (張彥彤) and members of his family were diagnosed with lead poisoning and hospitalized for a month, after taking traditional Chinese medicine prescribed by Lu.
The family members included Chang’s father — former Taichung City Council speaker Chang Hung-nien (張宏年) — and two others, who had been taking the medicine for a long time and had developed abdominal pains, prosecutors said.
When tested by Taichung’s Health Bureau, the medicine was found to contain excessive levels of lead and mercury.
Four members of another family, who had also been taking traditional Chinese medicine prescribed by Hung for more than two years, reported that high levels of heavy metals had been found in their blood, prosecutors said.
Law enforcement officers searched the premises of Sheng Tang, Jiu Fu and Hsin Lung, they said.
A preliminary investigation found that the two doctors and the supplier had contravened pharmaceutical laws, the office said, adding that it obtained a court order on Aug. 7 to arrest them and hold them incommunicado.
The three have been indicted and are to face trial at a later date, the office said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost