The legislative Sanitation, Environment and Social Welfare Committee yesterday approved a resolution that would entitle residents of six villages around Formosa Plastics’ Jenwu (仁武) plant to free medical examinations at all major hospitals in Kaohsiung, the cost of which would be covered by the company.
The committee also asked Formosa Plastics Group to commission a reputable third party, such as an academic institution, to undertake a health risk assessment at the plant.
Earlier this week, Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) said the company would be heavily fined for releasing highly toxic chemical pollutants into groundwater and failing to report the incident to the administration when it occurred in 2006.
The fine could reach NT$10 million (US$318,000), which is the equivalent of the profit earned by the plant since operations started.
The petrochemical conglomerate was guilty of not reporting a leakage of several types of toxins, including 1,2-dichloroethane, chloroethene, trichloromethane and benzene, when it occurred nearly four years ago.
Meanwhile, the committee also demanded that the Bureau of National Health Insurance amend the National Insurance Act (全民健保法) to force all Department of Health contracted hospitals to increase the number of available beds covered by the universal health plan.
The decision came in response to allegations made on Tuesday by the National Health Insurance Civic Surveillance Alliance — the nation’s biggest watchdog on the matter — that many major hospitals across the country fail to meet the requirement and that as a result patients often have to pay for beds.
At present, the law stipulates that public and private hospitals must reserve betwen 50 percent and 65 percent of their bed as NHI beds.
Lawmakers proposed an immediate amendment to raise the requirements to 85 percent and 70 percent for public and private hospitals respectively.
An undersea cable to Penghu County has been severed, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said today, with a Chinese-funded ship suspected of being responsible. It comes just a month after a Chinese ship was suspected of severing an undersea cable north of Keelung Harbor. The National Communications and Cyber Security Center received a report at 3:03am today from Chunghwa Telecom that the No. 3 cable from Taiwan to Penghu was severed 14.7km off the coast of Tainan, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) upon receiving a report from Chunghwa Telecom began to monitor the Togolese-flagged Hong Tai (宏泰)
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
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