TRANSPORTATION
THSRC, JR Central sign deal
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Central Japan Railway Co (JR Central) on expanding their sharing of knowledge and experience related to railway operations. The MOU signed in Tokyo on Tuesday would “deepen the bilateral strategic partnership,” enabling the two sides to hold further exchanges on managing high-speed rail operations, service and maintenance, the THSRC said in a statement yesterday. JR Central has long supported THSRC by providing consulting services and technical assistance, including training THSRC drivers before Taiwan’s high-speed rail was launched. Their future cooperation is expected to further improve the professional capabilities of THSRC staff and help them provide better services, it said. THSRC chairman Chiang Yao-chung (江耀宗) said the two companies had already been close partners prior to the agreement, as Taiwan’s high-speed rail was the first project outside Japan to use the Shinkansen technology.
CRIME
Men arrested over drugs
The Aviation Police Bureau on Tuesday said two Taiwanese men arrested for smuggling amphetamine, a category 3 drug, into Taiwan have been indicted by prosecutors, who requested prison sentences of at least seven years, while a third suspect remains at large. The APB and Taipei Customs discovered a batch of whey protein powder imported from the US containing 8.646kg of amphetamine with a street value of nearly NT$10 million (US$316,506) said Chen Mien-tsung (陳綿宗), an officer in the bureau’s Criminal Investigation Police Brigade. The bureau set up an investigation team and asked the Taoyuan District Prosecutors’ Office to lead the investigation, Chen said. The team discovered that a drug ring, allegedly led by a man surnamed Lin (林), nicknamed “Kuang Tou” (bareheaded), had been smuggling amphetamine from the US into Taiwan by concealing it in high-protein diet supplements. Two men, surnamed Wang (王) and Chang (張), were allegedly instructed to smuggle the drugs into the nation starting from March. Investigators in May arrested the two men as they picked up the drugs at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. A warrant has been issued for the arrest of Lin, who is also wanted in connection with other crimes, including fraud and money laundering, a police officer said. After the arrest, the two men were questioned by police they admitted that they smuggled drugs into Taiwan, Chen said.
WEATHER
Mercury expected to drop
The clement weather that has lasted for more than a week is expected to continue until this evening before seasonal northeasterly winds pick up again, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said on Tuesday. The partly sunny weather would continue across the nation until today, with daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan of 26°C to 28°C and lows of 19°C to 21°C, CWA forecaster Huang En-hong (黃恩鴻) said. However, the weather is expected to change starting this evening, including increased rain at nighttime. The unstable weather is expected to last until Saturday. With the winds’ impact, temperatures are expected to drop to 17°C to 18°C across Taiwan, while the highs would reach 21°C to 22°C in the north, 22°C to 23°C in the east, and 26°C to 27°C in the central and southern areas, Huang said.
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