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.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS