A Taichung egg farm operator was yesterday detained by prosecutors and held incommunicado on suspicion of illegally disposing of chickens that died following an avian influenza outbreak.
The Taichung District Court approved the detention, finding that the farmer, surnamed Yun (雲), operator of Fengkang Egg Ranch in the city’s Fongyuan District (豐原), met the legal grounds and necessity for custody.
Another suspect, surnamed Yen (顏), who owns land in Miaoli County where some of the dead chickens were allegedly buried, was released on NT$200,000 bail and barred from changing residence, the court said.
Photo courtesy of the Taichung City Government
Chickens at the farm began showing symptoms of avian influenza on Jan. 10, with large numbers dying between Jan. 10 and Monday last week, the Taichung City Government said.
Yun tried to conceal the outbreak by burying some of the dead chickens at his residence, and transporting others to Miaoli County for dumping and burial, investigators said.
Prosecutors searched the farm and Yun’s residence, and questioned Yun, two employees and Yen.
After a second round of questioning late on Monday, prosecutors said Yun is suspected of contravening the Waste Disposal Act (廢棄物清理法) by illegally dumping hazardous business waste, failing to properly dispose of waste as a business operator, and committing fraud.
Yen is suspected of illegally allowing hazardous waste to be dumped and buried on his land without approval from authorities, prosecutors said.
The city government said the outbreak has been contained, with no evidence that it has spread to other farms, after all chickens at the affected site were culled, and large quantities of eggs, feed and bedding materials were destroyed.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS