Page Three

Taiwan EPA raises max fine for air pollution to NT$20 million

Taiwan’s EPA raises the maximum penalty for industrial air pollution from NT$1 million to NT$20 million

Taiwan News   
Date: 2019/03/19 
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Polluted Taipei skyline. (By Central News Agency)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) on Monday (March 18) announced draft regulations that would raise the maximum fine for violations of the Air Pollution Control Act (空氣污染防制法) by factories from NT$1 million (US$32,000) to NT$20 million (US$649,000).

In the past, EPA air pollution regulations have been criticized by the public for having “loud thunder, but tiny drops of rain,” with many complaining that the maximum fine of NT$1 million does not have enough of a deterrent effect. In response, the EPA on Monday announced draft guidelines which will raise the maximum penalty for breaching the Air Pollution Control Act to NT$20 million.

However, to conform to the principle of proportionality, the minimum fine for minor violations has been lowered. For example, the minimum penalty for burning in an open space has been lowered from NT$5,000 to NT$1,200.

Department of Air Quality Protection and Noise Control Director-General Wu Sheng- chung (吳盛忠) said that the penalties will be more closely tailored for specific circumstances: “If the violation of the air pollution act is serious, we will levy a heavy fine, but if it is a mild infraction, we will amend the law to make the penalty lighter,” reported PTS News.    [FULL  STORY]

2 nuclear power-related referendum proposals pass initial screening

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/19
By: Wang Cheng-chung and Elizabeth Hsu

CNA file photo

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Tuesday passed an initial screening on two referendum proposals related to a mothballed nuclear power plant in New Taipei, sending them to the next stage, which requires a check on their proposers by household registration offices.

One of the proposals was initiated by Huang Shih-hsiu (黃士修), founder of Nuclear Myth Busters, and asked voters if they agree with restarting the fourth nuclear power plant project and putting it into commercial operation.

The project was close to completion before being mothballed in 2015 amid public concern over nuclear safety.

The other proposal, initiated by National Taiwan University professor Kao Cheng-yan (高成炎), was for a referendum to be held on a question entirely opposed to Huang’s.
[FULL  STORY]

Man posing as company exec defrauds stores

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 20, 2019
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

The Criminal Investigation Bureau on Monday said that it has arrested several people in connection with two separate fraud cases involving money transfers from convenience stores and through the Line messaging app.

A man surnamed Chien (簡), 26, was arrested in Taoyuan for allegedly defrauding people out of NT$7 million (US$226,993) over the past 10 months, the bureau said.

Chien targeted the nation’s four major convenience store chains, defrauding a total of 70 stores, CIB Ninth Investigation Corps squad leader Chiu Cheng-ti (邱承迪) said.

Police received a report in June last year that telephone calls were made to the stores by a person claiming to be an executive from the chains’ headquarters, such as the general manager of customer services, the head of the logistics and delivery department or the executive in charge of computer network facilities, Chiu said.    [FULL  STORY]

South Taipei Fun Carnival 2019 arrives in April featuring a Taipei walking tour

The tour offers guests an insight into the history of Taipei heritage sites

Taiwan News   
Date: 2019/03/19 
By: Ryan Drillsma, Taiwan News, Staff Reporter

(Image provided by the GACC)

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The annual South Taipei Fun Carnival arrives on April 4 and features a wealth of activities over the course of three days to introduce tourists to and reacquaint residents with the wonders of Taipei City’s cultural heritage.

The Carnival is hosted by The General Association of Chinese Culture (GACC), Taiwan’s oldest and most influential cultural organization.

Between April 4 and 7 there will be an exhibition to celebrate 100 years of the Presidential Office Building, a book and table game convention, film screenings and many more events to commemorate Taipei’s cultural history.

Taiwan News was invited to preview one of the Carnival’s most popular annual events: “Taking a Stroll in South Taipei.”    [FULL  STORY]

McDonald’s inspected over alleged foreign object found in burger

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/03/19
By: Chiang Chun-liang, Wu Hsin-yun and William Yen

Taipei, March 19 (CNA) A McDonald’s fast food restaurant in Chiayi City is being

Image taken from Pixabay

inspected by local health authorities after a customer was allegedly injured by a sharp object after biting into a burger, an official said Tuesday.

A 27-year-old man, surnamed Shih (施), was taken to a hospital emergency room by McDonald’s employees early that day after complaining to them that he had been cut by a sharp object in his burger and was bleeding from the mouth, according to Liao Yu-wei (廖育瑋), deputy chief of Chiayi City Health Bureau.

Shih is in a stable condition after receiving treatment and a tetanus shot, Liao added.

Health inspectors have already been dispatched to the McDonald’s restaurant and if any negligence is found the outlet could be fined NT$60,000 (US$1,948) to NT$200 million in accordance with the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, Liao said.
[FULL  STORY]

Man accused of secretly filming staff at restaurant

Taipei Times
Date: Mar 20, 2019
By: Jason Pan  /  Staff reporter

Taipei prosecutors yesterday charged a TGIF restaurant employee with offenses against privacy for allegedly secretly using a spy camera to film his colleagues changing clothes.

A dozen employees were secretly filmed by the man surnamed Tung (董), prosecutors said.

The restaurant, near Guting MRT Station, said it terminated Tung’s contract after the allegations came to light.

Two of his colleagues said they have forgiven Tung, but the other 10, all women, filed judicial complaints, prosecutors said.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan coast guard ends rescue mission in the Indian Ocean

Radio Taiwan International 
Date: 18 March, 2019
By: Paula Chao

The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) has completed it’s first-ever mission to rescue a

A Filipino crewman, on suspicion of killing another Filipino fisherman, has been detained for questioning. (CNA photo)

Taiwanese fishing boat and its crew in the Indian Ocean. That’s after a stabbing incident on the boat in February, which left one dead and seven missing.

The coast guard mission returned to Kaohsiung harbor in southern Taiwan on Monday, ending a journey that spanned nearly a month.

At the center of the case is a Taiwan-registered fishing boat called the Wen Peng. A Filipino crew member hijacked the boat on February 20 off the coast of Mauritius. At the time of the incident, the boat had a total of 24 people on board, including three Taiwanese, ten Filipinos and 11 Indonesians.

Authorities have arrested the Filipino crewman who hijacked the boat, on suspicion of killing another Filipino fisherman. He’s now back in Taiwan, and has been detained for questioning.

Vice Premier Chen Chi-mai spoke about the incident during a press conference in Kaohsiung on Monday. He said the government will do its best to ensure the safety of Taiwanese fishing boats and crew members operating on the high seas.
[FULL  STORY]

Solomon Islands May Be Considering a Diplomatic Switch From Taiwan to China

Prime Minister Rick Hou’s political party has said it will review Solomon Islands relations with Taiwan if elected, raising the possibility of a switch to China.

The News Lens
Date: 2019/03/18
By: Denghua Zhang & Transform Aqorau

The forthcoming national elections in Solomon Islands in April have once again raised

Credit: Taiwan Presidential Office

the issue of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China (hereafter “Taiwan”) and Solomon Islands. Prime Minister Rick Hou’s political party has said it will review Solomon Islands diplomatic relations with Taiwan if elected, raising the potential of a diplomatic switch from Taiwan to the People’s Republic of China (hereafter “China”).

The Pacific is the second largest concentration of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies. Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) will this week embark on a regional visit, highlighting that six (Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu) of the 14 Pacific island countries recognize Taiwan. This accounts for more than one-third of Taiwan’s 17 diplomatic allies globally.    [FULL  STORY]

Prozac to be pulled from Taiwan market on April 1

Prozac to be permanently pulled from Taiwan market on April 1

Taiwan News   
Date: 2019/03/18 
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The popular antidepressant Prozac is to be permanently

removed from pharmacy shelves this April in Taiwan, announced the drug’s Taiwanese manufacturer Zuellig Pharma (裕利藥廠) last week, reported CNA.

Claiming to be unable to cope with frequent price cuts by Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI), the local Taiwanese maker of the Prozac 20 mg, Zuellig Pharma, announced last week that it will stop selling the antidepressant in Taiwan on April 1. The company said that it will completely withdraw the drug from the Taiwan market, but all orders received before March 29 will still be fully supplied.

On March 13, the company sent a letter to all hospitals announcing that due to the annual reduction of drug prices by the National Health Insurance Administration, along with an increase in raw material and transportation costs in recent years, it will be ceasing the supply of Prozac. The company also mentioned the rising costs of following the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme (PICS) and Good Manufacturing Processes (GMP) to ensure the quality of the medication.

Zuellig Pharma said that after taking the above-mentioned factors into an actuarial analysis, it was notified by Eli Lily Taiwan, the owner of Prozac, to cease production on April 1 and withdraw the product from the Taiwan market. In order to ensure the rights of hospitals and patients, the company said that orders received before March 29 will be fully supplied.    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan to benefit from Japan’s move to boost island defense capabilities

The fortified island chain will help Taiwan’s defense in any cross-strait conflict scenario

Taiwan News   
Date: 2019/03/18 
By: Huang Tzu-ti, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

Japan Air Self-Defense Force demonstrates a training to utilize the PAC-3 surface to air interceptors at the U.S. Yokota Air Base on the outskirts of

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Japan is poised to boost its defense capabilities with the inauguration of multiple military bases on the Nansei Islands, a chain of Japanese islands that stretches southwest from Kyushu to Taiwan, by the end of this month, as China actively expands its military presence in the Miyako Strait.

Citing a report by The Japan Times, Liberty Times pointed out that military bases in Amami City and Setouchi Town of the Kagoshima Prefecture will commence operations on March 26, with the deployment of surface-to-air missiles and anti-ship missiles respectively.

Meanwhile, the country’s missile defense capability will be beefed up in Miyakojima City of the Okinawa Prefecture this year, while construction is underway for facilities operated by the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) on Ishigaki Island.

Along with the Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade stationed on the Yonaguni Island, a defense network aligning the Nansei Islands appears to be taking shape, Liberty Times argued.    [FULL  STORY]