SOCIETY
Drunk driver hits train
A man driving under the influence of alcohol yesterday morning crashed his car into the side of a Taroko Express train in Hualien County, the Taiwan Railways Administration (TRA) said, adding that no one was seriously injured. The collision occurred when Taroko Express No. 401 passed a level crossing in Chiamin Village (佳民) in Hualien County’s Sioulin Township (秀林), it said in a statement. After hearing a loud sound, the train driver stopped to inspect the train and found that the third carriage had been hit from the side, it said. None of the 370 passengers on board from Taitung Station to Sioulin Station were injured, while the car was badly damaged, the Hualien railway police said. The 20-year-old driver sustained minor injuries and was rushed to a local hospital, police said. He was later found to have a blood-alcohol level of 0.3mg per liter, and is to be charged for endangering public safety, police said. The crash caused about 80 minutes of delays on the railway, the TRA said.
DIPLOMACY
Swedish lawmakers visit
A group of Swedish lawmakers are visiting Taiwan on a seven-day trip during which they are to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other senior officials, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. During the meetings, discussions would focus on issues of mutual interest, the latest situation in the region, and economic and trade developments, the ministry said in a statement. The six-member delegation led by Mathias Tegner, vice president of the Swedish-Taiwanese Parliamentarian Association, arrived on Saturday. Before concluding their trip on Friday, the delegates are expected to visit the National Development Council, the Ministry of Digital Affairs and the Ministry of Health and Welfare, it said. Other members of the cross-parties delegation include lawmakers Joar Forssell, Johan Hultberg, Asa Eriksson, Eva Lindh and Stefan Olsson, it added. The visit marks the second visit to Taiwan by a delegation of Swedish lawmakers this year, after a four-member group, led by lawmaker Markus Wiechel, visited from May 14 to May 19. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that the latest visit was another example of warming ties between Sweden and Taiwan, adding that Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson has expressed concern over China’s military threat to Taiwan in his first parliamentary address in October last year.
SOCIETY
Pets outnumbering babies
The number of cats and dogs registered as pets exceeded the number of babies born in Hsinchu County for the third consecutive year last year, the county’s Animal Protection and Health Inspection Office said on Sunday. In a news release, the office said that since the phenomenon first occurred in 2020, registrations of pet cats have gone up by about 25 percent per year, while dog registrations have increased by 10 percent annually. Last year, the number of dogs and cats registered in the county hit 5,129, while only 4,033 children were born, the office said, adding that the trend showed how pets are increasingly being seen as “a part of the family.” The office said that it had recently used central and local government funding to open a new animal protection education park (a modern animal welfare-focused shelter) in Jhubei City (竹北), and offered free rabies vaccinations, and spaying and neutering services. Hsinchu County has a population of 587,000, which has increased by about 50,000 in the past 10 years, driven mainly by migration to the county seat, Jhubei, which is just north of Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區).
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
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
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
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