Former Taipei Municipal Hoping Hospital superintendent Wu Kang-wen (
Wu and Lin were summoned by Taipei Chief Prosecutor Chen Tai-wei (
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Wu was removed from his post earlier this month and Lin was fined NT$90,000 by the Taipei City Bureau of Health for delaying the reporting of possible SARS cases.
The Taipei City Government said it stands by its decision to fine three Hoping Hospital doctors, Lin, Chang Yu-tai (
"According to the Communicable Disease Prevention Law (傳染病防治法) Article 29, a doctor must report patients suspected of carrying a statutory communicable diseases to the health authority within 24 hours," said Chen Ching-hsiu (陳清秀), director-general of the Law and Regulation Commission.
"The delayed report sheets we have are clearly signed by the doctors."
According to Chen, all three doctors were a day late in reporting.
Chang claims he signed all three report sheets on behalf of his colleagues.
"If what Chang says about him signing for others is true then we may be looking at a case of forgery, which would entail a more serious consequence," Chen said.
Chen also said that a doctor should not just report cases to other administrative departments within the hospital or ask colleagues to handle them but should ensure they are reported to the authorities as soon as possible.
Chen said that a doctor who broke the law could be fined between NT$90,000 to NT$450,000.
"Unless the doctors can provide concrete evidence of their innocence, our decision to fine them will stand," Chen said.
All three doctors were invited to offer evidence against the allegations two days ago but, according to the Taipei City Government, could not offer any written proof to collaborate their stories.
"The doctors should report any suspected cases," said Wu Wen-hao (
"Many doctors simply do not understand the law. They should be more careful, and should not sign documents if they are not directly responsible," Wu said.
Chang will hold a press conference today to offer his side of the story.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain