Painting China as a "black-hole in the global effort to prevent avian flu," President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday called on Beijing to make transparent its bird flu statistics.
Chen also instructed concerned government agencies to study the possibility of banning the killing of live poultry at traditional wet markets to reduce the chances for human contact with domesticated birds.
"One of the biggest problems of the nation's bird flu prevention efforts is that we cannot obtain immediate and accurate information from China," Chen said.
"In addition to more closely monitoring China's situation and aggressively gathering information, I'm calling on the international community to pressure Beijing to make its information more transparent to prevent the condition from getting out of hand," he said.
Chen made the remarks after chairing the third round of a high-level National Security Council (NSC) meeting held to discuss the government's efforts to prevent a possible outbreak of avian flu.
Chen gave 10-point instructions on the fight against the spread of bird flu after hearing reports from the heads of the NSC, Council of Agriculture, Department of Health and Coast Guard Administration.
Statistics provided by the NSC showed that the virulent H5N1 strain of bird flu has taken 96 lives around the world, with 42 in Vietnam, 20 in Indonesia, 14 in Thailand and 10 in China.
Because of Taiwan's unique geographical character, Chen said he would like concerned government agencies to guard more strictly the nation's ports of entry, especially against bird smuggling from China, illegal trespassing by Chinese fishing boats, and continue health screenings in Kinmen and Matsu.
Last October, the H5N1 strain of bird flu was found in birds being smuggled from China into Taichung harbor.
Since Taiwan Urbani Foundation has visited Hong Kong, Guangdong, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City to gather first-hand information on the disease, Chen said that the government must work with the foundation to establish a long-term direct dialogue mechanism with Beijing to better prevent the spread of the disease.
To prevail in the battle against bird flu, Chen said it is very important to map out a solid strategy and turn it into standard operating procedures.
Chen also stressed the importance of storing an adequate amount of Tamiflu, the drug believed to be effective in combating avian flu. The government must also follow the production and research plan proposed by Academia Sinica president Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) in last year's APEC meeting.
If there is an outbreak of bird flu, Chen said that both the central and local governments must stringently carry out the prevention plan and guard against negligence or delays.
Meanwhile, Chen yesterday received Kiwanis International president Steve Siemens, who came to Taiwan for the organization's 31st annual Asia-Pacific convention, which is scheduled to open in Kaohsiung tomorrow.
Chen said that he was proud to play a part in assisting the Kiwanis in holding its convention in Taipei in 2001, when he served as city the mayor.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday appealed to the authorities to release former Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) from pretrial detention amid conflicting reports about his health. The TPP at a news conference on Thursday said that Ko should be released to a hospital for treatment, adding that he has blood in his urine and had spells of pain and nausea followed by vomiting over the past three months. Hsieh Yen-yau (謝炎堯), a retired professor of internal medicine and Ko’s former teacher, said that Ko’s symptoms aligned with gallstones, kidney inflammation and potentially dangerous heart conditions. Ko, charged with
RSS