Wed, Jun 12, 2024 page3

• Taiwan News Quick Take

  • Staff writer, with agencies
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  DIPLOMACY

  Czech center to open in Taipei

  The Czech Republic on Monday said it would open a new center this week to boost cultural and diplomatic ties in Taipei, a move likely to anger China. Although the EU and NATO member officially maintains a “one China” policy, its officials have sought to foster close ties with Taiwan. “The Czech Centre in Taiwan will launch its activity on Friday” with an exhibition of Czech photographs, the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The Czech news agency CTK quoted Czech Centres Director-General Jitka Panek Jurkova as saying that Czechs “want to be seen and heard in Taipei.” “The Czech Centre in Taipei is designed to deepen the understanding among the Taiwanese public of traditional and especially contemporary Czech culture,” she added. The foreign ministry has 28 Czech Centres promoting the Czech Republic in 25 countries across the world, but not in China.

  SOCIETY

  Poisoning deaths rise to 6

  A woman passed away yesterday, bringing the number of people who have died in an apparent case of food poisoning in Taipei to six, health officials said. The people became ill after in late March eating at a Taipei branch of Polam Kopitiam, a Malaysian restaurant chain where a deadly bongkrek acid poisoning outbreak occurred. The 46-year-old woman had a liver transplant in mid-April and was moved to a regular hospital ward on Wednesday last week, the Taipei Department of Health said. However, she was transferred to an intensive care unit after her condition worsened on Monday evening. She was unable to recover and passed away yesterday afternoon, the department said.

  SPORTS

  Rakuten player fired over DUI

  The Rakuten Monkeys baseball team yesterday terminated the contract of outfielder Chiu Tan (邱丹) after he was caught the previous day after crashing his car while driving under the influence (DUI). The Monkeys, one of six teams in Taiwan’s CPBL, said 23-year-old Chiu had breached the terms of his contract and was fired with immediate effect. According to the National Highway Police Bureau, Chiu was determined to have been drunk driving using a breath alcohol test after he crashed his vehicle into a guardrail early on Monday morning on a northbound section of Freeway No. 1 near Tainan’s Madou District (麻豆). No one was injured in the apparent single-vehicle collision, the bureau said, indicating that the case had been handed over to the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office. Chiu apologized in a statement. “As a professional baseball player, a husband and father, I’m sorry I let everyone down,” he said, adding that he regretted that his actions had harmed the Monkeys’ reputation.

  SPORTS

  Taiwanese win gold in Hanoi

  Taiwan won one gold, one silver and one bronze medal at the ninth Aerobic Gymnastics Asian Championship, which concluded on Monday in Hanoi, Vietnam. The three-day competition featured more than 300 athletes from 14 countries and territories competing in 18 events, including aerobic dance. Taiwanese Wang Fei-chu (王飛掬), 14, won gold in the girls’ singles, while Chueh Tzu-cheng (闕子承), 12, won bronze in boys’ singles. Together, they won silver in mixed doubles on Sunday. The two excelled in a sport that requires balance between difficult movements while achieving aesthetics through rigorous training, coach Chang Chun-chi (張淳智) said. “Dedication and hard work are essential to achieving top results in this competition,” he said.
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