Authorities suspect that triplicate forms documenting the disposal of dead pigs were tampered with, leading to discrepancies in reported figures as Taiwan responds to its first confirmed case of African swine fever, the Taichung City Government said today.
Evidence was sent to prosecutors for investigation on Sunday and yesterday, Taichung Deputy Mayor Cheng Chao-hsin (鄭照新) told a news conference this morning at the African swine fever response unit.
Those responsible would be prosecuted if found to have contravened the Criminal Code for forgery, he said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The triplicate forms play a key role in mortality statistics and case investigations for African swine fever, with one copy kept by the rendering plant, one by local animal health authorities and one by the hog farmer, officials said.
Regarding the economic impact of Taichung’s African swine fever outbreak, Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) said that 400 fresh meat vendors in the city were affected by supply shortages, with some forced to close.
Public markets would temporarily waive rental fees, and central and local governments are working to provide additional compensation, she said.
Meanwhile, a veterinarian surnamed Wang (王) who was consulted by the farm where the outbreak was detected was questioned by prosecutors today.
He left the country after the incident, but returned to Taiwan yesterday, prosecutors said.
This morning, he was summoned for questioning to ascertain if there had been any contraventions of the Act on the Prevention and Control of Infectious Animal Disease (動物傳染病防治條例), they said.
He was released after questioning as a witness and consented to have his mobile phone examined for evidence, they added.
The Executive Yuan yesterday announced that registration for a one-time universal NT$10,000 cash handout to help people in Taiwan survive US tariffs and inflation would start on Nov. 5, with payouts available as early as Nov. 12. Who is eligible for the handout? Registered Taiwanese nationals are eligible, including those born in Taiwan before April 30 next year with a birth certificate. Non-registered nationals with residence permits, foreign permanent residents and foreign spouses of Taiwanese citizens with residence permits also qualify for the handouts. For people who meet the eligibility requirements, but passed away between yesterday and April 30 next year, surviving family members
The German city of Hamburg on Oct. 14 named a bridge “Kaohsiung-Brucke” after the Taiwanese city of Kaohsiung. The footbridge, formerly known as F566, is to the east of the Speicherstadt, the world’s largest warehouse district, and connects the Dar-es-Salaam-Platz to the Brooktorpromenade near the Port of Hamburg on the Elbe River. Timo Fischer, a Free Democratic Party member of the Hamburg-Mitte District Assembly, in May last year proposed the name change with support from members of the Social Democratic Party and the Christian Democratic Union. Kaohsiung and Hamburg in 1999 inked a sister city agreement, but despite more than a quarter-century of
Taiwanese officials are courting podcasters and influencers aligned with US President Donald Trump as they grow more worried the US leader could undermine Taiwanese interests in talks with China, people familiar with the matter said. Trump has said Taiwan would likely be on the agenda when he is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) next week in a bid to resolve persistent trade tensions. China has asked the White House to officially declare it “opposes” Taiwanese independence, Bloomberg reported last month, a concession that would mark a major diplomatic win for Beijing. President William Lai (賴清德) and his top officials
‘ONE CHINA’: A statement that Berlin decides its own China policy did not seem to sit well with Beijing, which offered only one meeting with the German official German Minister for Foreign Affairs Johann Wadephul’s trip to China has been canceled, a spokesperson for his ministry said yesterday, amid rising tensions between the two nations, including over Taiwan. Wadephul had planned to address Chinese curbs on rare earths during his visit, but his comments about Berlin deciding on the “design” of its “one China” policy ahead of the trip appear to have rankled China. Asked about Wadephul’s comments, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Guo Jiakun (郭嘉昆) said the “one China principle” has “no room for any self-definition.” In the interview published on Thursday, Wadephul said he would urge China to
RSS