Chunghwa Post yesterday announced a series of measures to prevent the delivery of dangerous items through its system.
The state-run company made the announcement after three employees of a care facility in Ulsan, South Korea, on Thursday reported that they had difficulty breathing and were taken to a hospital for treatment after opening a package that had transited through Taiwan.
The postal company traced the origin of the package and found that it was initially sent from China and transshipped to South Korea through Chunghwa Post’s delivery service.
Photo: EPA-EFE
A Criminal Investigation Bureau probe found that the package had been shipped by surface mail from China and sorted through Chunghwa Post’s freight forwarding center during a stopover in Taiwan. It was later shipped directly to South Korea by air, without passing through Taiwan’s customs.
The incident prompted Chunghwa Post to suspend delivery of packages to South Korea commissioned by the Taiwanese logistics firm that received the package from China.
Korea Post expanded its search by tracing the whereabouts of more than 2,500 packages that were sent along with the parcel.
Delivery would not to be resumed until after Korea Post completes its investigation, Chunghwa Post said.
The Taiwanese logistics firm could be fined up to NT$150,000 if it is found to have breached the terms of mail delivery contracts, the post office said, adding that it would be asked to pay additional compensation should Chunghwa Post incur additional financial losses because of the incident.
“In view of this incident, we have asked logistics firms or freight forwarders to accept only items for delivery from logistics firms and suppliers verified by cross-border e-commerce platforms. They are banned from accepting goods from individuals,” Chunghwa Post said.
To increase control over goods that are to be delivered through the mail transshipment system, the postal firm said it would add a vetting system for suspicious items, such as solid aroma compounds and liquid essences, as well as items that were frequently misrepresented on customs reports, such as lip balm and makeup cotton.
Under current regulations, eight categories of items are banned from being delivered through Chunghwa Post’s transshipment service, including sharp metals, valuables, items prohibited from importation by the destination country, live animals, obscene items, dangerous items, narcotic drugs and other prohibited items. Mail would be sent after customs X-ray the packages and confirm that they do not contain problematic content.
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