An apparent food poisoning outbreak at a restaurant in Taipei that resulted in two sudden deaths and five people having to be treated in intensive care units has made headlines over the past few days. Investigations and testing confirmed it to be the first instance of bongkrek acid poisoning in Taiwan.
Bongkrek acid is a rare toxin produced by contamination with a bacterium, especially in fermented coconut or corn food products, and a mere milligram of the colorless and tasteless substance is deadly.
While specialists and officials are trying to identify the source of the deadly toxin, and prosecutors and police are collecting information and questioning restaurant personnel, it is a shame that some politicians and critics are quick to point fingers.
As of yesterday, 25 customers of Malaysian restaurant Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the food court of Taipei’s Far Eastern Department Store Xinyi A13 have reported falling ill after eating there — most of them ate a stir-fried flat rice noodle dish — between March 19 and last Sunday.
Two men died two days and a week, respectively, after eating at the restaurant, and five other people were hospitalized under intensive care.
The issue first grabbed public attention on Tuesday after the Taipei Department of Health received reports from three other hospitals about cases possibly linked to the restaurant, and an on-site inspection by Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control officials was conducted that day, while the restaurant franchise was ordered to suspend all operations.
With the help of healthcare professionals, public health experts and toxicologists, an impromptu meeting of specialists convened by the Ministry of Health and Welfare on Wednesday evening determined bongkrek acid to be the likely cause, and they later confirmed that blood from the dead and hospitalized people all tested positive for bongkrek acid, marking the first cases ever in Taiwan.
As the investigation progressed, a pan-blue camp local newspaper was quick to blame the central government led by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), publishing an editorial on Wednesday claiming that Taiwan is in a state of anarchy, as people can die from a meal at a food court and a foster child can die after being abused by a caregiver; while other pan-blue camp politicians blamed the central government for stepping in too late on Wednesday, when the first death occurred on Sunday.
DPP city councilors and legislators pointed their finger back at the Taipei City Government led by Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), accusing the city government of reporting the cases to the central government too late and passing the buck; while pan-green camp critics questioned Chiang’s ability to deal with food safety, child abuse and other public security problems.
However, the public is not interested in whether the central or the local government should apologize at this time, but is more eager to understand how the incident occurred and if it has affected other food products.
The answers can be better provided by the central and local governments working together efficiently and professionally.
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
Deflation in China is persisting, raising growing concerns domestically and internationally. Beijing’s stimulus policies introduced in September last year have largely been short-lived in financial markets and negligible in the real economy. Recent data showing disproportionately low bank loan growth relative to the expansion of the money supply suggest the limited effectiveness of the measures. Many have urged the government to take more decisive action, particularly through fiscal expansion, to avoid a deep deflationary spiral akin to Japan’s experience in the early 1990s. While Beijing’s policy choices remain uncertain, questions abound about the possible endgame for the Chinese economy if no decisive
China poses a dire threat to Taiwan’s semiconductor industry as it steps up efforts to poach Taiwan’s top chip talent, following the US’ implementation of stringent chip restrictions. Beijing is keen to develop its own semiconductor technologies, leveraging skilled engineers from Taiwan, Europe and other countries to circumvent US restrictions on providing China access to advanced US chips, particularly those used in artificial intelligence applications, as well as other chip technologies and manufacturing equipment. Taiwan has always contended with talent competition from China, but the situation is worsening. The Hsinchu District Prosecutors’ Office on Friday said that China’s ARK Semi and
Actress Michelle Yeoh (楊紫瓊) on March 13 posted an Instagram caption after the opening of Tiffany’s Taipei flagship store two days earlier that read: “Thank you Tiffany for inviting us to Taipei China.” We know that Yeoh knows Taipei is in Taiwan, not China, because the caption was posted following comments she made — in English — in which she said: “Thank you to Tiffany for bringing me to Taipei, because I do love this country very much.” Her remarks and the subsequent Instagram caption were reported in Taiwan, in Chinese and English- language media such as Radio Free Asia, and overseas,