WEATHER
Temperatures to increase
Temperatures across Taiwan are to climb over the next week, with central and southern regions likely to see temperatures rise to 30°C on Thursday and Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Taiwan would still experience the effects of northeasterly winds over the weekend, with northern and northeastern parts of Taiwan proper to see cloudy weather, CWA forecaster Yeh Chih-chun (葉致均) said. A cold high-pressure system is to arrive in Taiwan today, dropping the mercury slightly in the northeastern areas. Peaks higher than 3,000m in the central and northern parts of Taiwan could experience snowfall until this morning, he said. After tomorrow, the nation would see weather patterns affected by easterly winds, meaning windward locations in the country should be aware of potential rainfall, he said. Central and southern Taiwan as well as the outlying Matsu Islands might experience foggy weather on Tuesday, he said. Additionally, with the mercury forecast to gradually climb daily starting tomorrow, temperatures across Taiwan could reach between 25°C and 26°C on Thursday and Friday, with central and southern Taiwan to see temperatures as high as 30°C, he said.
TRADE
Oyster checks to be set up
Oyster checks to be set up
A special program inspecting oysters’ countries of origin has been launched due to concerns over the false labeling of Vietnamese imports, the Fisheries Agency said last week. It said it had launched the program after local oyster suppliers reported to Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) that Chinese oysters — which are banned from Taiwan — had been transshipped through Vietnam and relabeled. Suppliers in Tainan also expressed concerns to Chen that such imports were being fraudulently sold as Taiwanese, local media reports said. Chen, citing Customs Administration data, said that Vietnamese oyster imports had increased significantly over the past five years, with annual shipments into Taiwan increasing from 201 tonnes in 2019 to 3,937 tonnes last year. Responding to the case, the agency said the Ministry of Agriculture has applied technical evaluations — “TFDAF0035.00” and “TFDAF0036.00” — developed last year to identify the oysters’ places of origin. Several agencies have cooperated to track the countries of origin of all oysters on sale, while law enforcement officials would handle the cases in accordance with related legislation if any substandard oysters were found, it added.
IMMIGRATION
Four arrested over fees
Four people have been indicted for allegedly collecting up to NT$25 milion (US$798,594) in illegal brokerage fees from migrant workers since 2020, the Yunlin District Prosecutors’ Office said on Thursday. An investigation launched last year following a tip-off from the National Immigration Agency’s Keelung brigade led to two Taiwanese men, surnamed Wang (王) and Wei (魏), as well as a Vietnamese woman surnamed Nguyen and her boyfriend being charged with contravening the Employment Services Act (就業服務法), document forgery and fraud, the prosecutors’ office said. The four allegedly recruited and brought about 100 Vietnamese migrant workers into Taiwan, which resulted in NT$25 million of illegal gains, it said. Prosecutors said Wang, Wei, Nguyen and 10 other people allegedly established 10 shell firms using fake documents.
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
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition