Customs officers at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Sunday seized 560 packs of heated tobacco products from three people traveling from Japan, a source familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The products were seized from a Taiwanese man disguised as a Japanese monk and two other passengers on China Airlines Flight CI 105 from Tokyo, the source said.
The man dressed himself as a monk to reduce the likelihood of being inspected, but others on the flight had seen the three packing the items at Narita airport and photographed their activity, the source said, adding that they reported the suspicious activity to customs officers upon their arrival in Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of a reader
Officers searched the three when they arrived and discovered the heated tobacco products in their carry-on baggage, the source said, adding that the products were seized and stored in a nearby warehouse until health authorities collect and destroy them.
Amendments to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) that took effect on March 22 last year say that people caught illegally bringing e-cigarettes or heated tobacco products into Taiwan face a maximum fine of NT$5 million (US$155,434).
In other news, a shipment of chopping boards imported from South Korea by e-commerce operator Coupang Inc was seized at the border after failing to meet safety standards, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The cypress wood products on April 11 failed a dissolution test using acetic acid and ethanol, FDA Deputy Director-General Lin Chin-fu (林金富) said, adding that the 20kg shipment would either be returned to its country of origin or destroyed.
The kitchenware was the seventh such shipment imported by Coupang in the past six months that failed to meet Taiwan’s safety standards, the FDA said.
Batch-by-batch inspections of chopping boards imported from South Korea by the e-commerce operator would continue, Lin said.
Eight other imported items also failed safety inspections, a list issued by the FDA showed.
Among the other goods were barley leaf powder from China, cayenne chili powder from Malaysia and fresh truffles from Bulgaria, it said.
The powders contained pesticide residue in excess of tolerable levels, it said.
All imported dried chili and pepper powder, regardless of where they are imported from, are subject to a 100 percent inspection rate at Taiwan’s border, Lin said, adding that this includes testing for Sudan dyes and pesticides.
‘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
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
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