Rail operator to assess rerouting landslide-prone sections in Hualien

Rail operator to assess rerouting landslide-prone sections in Hualien

2024-07-29

Train services along the North Link Line have been interrupted at least four times since the April 3 earthquake in Hualien. One of the more problematic sections lies between the stations of Chongde and Heren, where the terrain is prone to landslides in rainy weather. The transport ministry has ordered the Taiwan Railway Corporation to assess whether to reroute the train line.

Li Men-yen
Transport minister
We have asked the Taiwan Railway Corporation to see if it can make the line safer and more resilient. Perhaps the tracks can be elevated along the same path, or the line can be rerouted.

Chen Wen-shan
NTU Department of Geosciences professor emeritus
There are a lot of gravel and collapsed boulders all over the hillside. So every time it rains or a typhoon strikes, there is a chance of it all coming down in a landslide. I think that the paperwork and assessments on whether the tracks can be rerouted would take about three years. It would take at least seven or eight years to complete the line.

According to the Taiwan Railway Corporation, a route safety evaluation and rerouting study are already underway. A preliminary report is expected by the end of the year.

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403強震+颱風台鐵"和仁-崇德"多次中斷評估改線

2024-07-29

403花蓮強震後，台鐵北迴線，部分花蓮路段至少發生4次中斷，尤其和仁到崇德段地質脆弱，一旦遇到豪雨或颱風，恐怕會引發土石流。對此，交通部指示台鐵公司，進行北迴線改線評估。

[[交通部長李孟諺]]
“我們有請台鐵公司最近來著手研擬，看能不能找到更安全、更具有韌性的路線，也許是原線，去做加高，或者是改線。”

[[台大地質系名譽教授陳文山]]
“它其實很多的碎石頭，崩塌的岩塊，還位在整個山坡上面，所以每逢下大雨、颱風的時候，它就會變成土石流下來。紙上作業(評估報告)，到他真正能確定讓它(改線)動工的話，我想大概3年時間，從今天開始到它真的要完工，7、8年以上。”

台鐵公司回應，目前已啟動相關災害路段安全評估作業，也包含改線可行性，預估年底提出初步評估報告。

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China pressures IPAC lawmakers to not attend Taipei summit: AP

The annual summit of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC, will be held in Taiwan for the first time. Ahead of opening day, the Associated Press revealed that several IPAC members were pressured by China to not participate. According to the report, eight lawmakers from at least five countries were contacted by Chinese diplomatic officials. But the pressure tactics backfired, with members only becoming more determined to join the event.

Speaking at Taipei Guest House, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim welcomes members of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, or IPAC.

Hsiao Bi-khim
Vice president
We face significant challenges in all of these areas, particularly the geopolitical situation where Beijing is aggressively expanding their military presence. So your presence here is at a very important moment.

Forty-eight cross-party lawmakers from 23 countries are here to attend IPAC’s annual summit. They are the largest parliamentary delegation ever to visit Taiwan.

Lin Ching
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IPAC, or the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, will hold its annual summit in Taiwan for the first time. The event opens on Tuesday at the Grand Hyatt Taipei.

This year’s summit will focus on peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. There will be special Taiwan forum, during which President Lai Ching-te will give a speech.

According to the Associated Press, eight lawmakers from at least five countries, including Colombia and Slovakia, faced Chinese pressure to not attend the summit. They said they received calls and emails from Chinese embassy officials. Some found that their party leadership had been contacted. But the pressure campaign backfired: One Bosnian lawmaker said it only “steeled her determination” to go to Taiwan.

Founded in 2020, IPAC has lawmakers from dozens of countries and the European Parliament. It seeks to safeguard democracy against the Chinese threat. It also promotes legislation to challenge China’s political and economic influence.

Wang Ting-yu
DPP lawmaker
IPAC is a global alliance of lawmakers that promotes human rights, freedom, and democracy. Today, China poses a threat to the freedom, democracy, and normal international relations of other countries.

Defying Chinese pressure, IPAC’s lawmakers departed for Taipei, standing united to defend democracy.

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Lai to request record defense budget for 2025: sources

Details are out on President Lai Ching-te’s first budget proposal since taking office. The fiscal year 2025 proposal features a record-high defense budget, according to sources familiar with the matter. The amount will be around NT$460 billion, the most ever requested. Factoring in special budgets and other supplementary funds, total military expenditures are expected to reach NT$630 billion, reflecting a 5% yearly increase.

Despite a typhoon, the first-ever “unscripted” Han Kuang exercises came to a successful close last Friday.

And after staying away for four days amid the storm, the PLA resumed its harassment of Taiwan last Sunday. Thirty-four aircraft and vessels were detected near the island, with 13 planes crossing the strait’s median line.

Amid China’s gray-zone warfare, the Lai administration has requested a record-high budget for defense.

It would cover new purchases of F-16s, a project to enhance naval and air combat capabilities, and arms like Harpoon missiles. Sources say the amount requested for 2025 is around NT$460 billion. With special budgets and other supplementary funds, total military spending is expected to reach NT$630 billion, marking a 5% yearly increase.

Wang Chih-sheng
Cross-Strait Policy Association scholar
To cope with the threat of China’s growing strength and expansionism, Taiwan has continually increased its defense budget over the past few years. To some extent, doing so is about declaring to the world that we are committed to indigenous defense. It’s to show that we are determined to defend ourselves.

Since the Tsai administration, Taiwan’s military spending has increased each year, going from NT$349.7 billion in 2016 to NT$355.7 billion in 2017, and surpassing NT$400 billion in 2020. In 2023, spending soared to NT$580.3 billion. Military spending is expected to surge again to NT$630 billion this year, taking its GDP percentage from 2% to 2.6%. But even so, a scholar says there’s still plenty of room to expand expenditures.

Su Tzu-yun
Institute for National Defense and Security Research
Compared to other vulnerable nations like Israel, Singapore, and South Korea, our defense spending is on the low side. A reasonable defense budget should target 3% of the GDP. This would give our professional staff at the defense ministry a more stable and long-term financial plan.

The scholar called on the government to further boost spending, in order to ensure Taiwan’s national security.

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Prescription reform to launch in October for dentist clinics

Drug prescriptions sometimes include a doctor’s note saying “Do Not Substitute.” That means pharmacies can’t switch out the brand-name medications mentioned for generic drugs with the same active ingredients. Starting October, dentists will have to give a justification for the note. Failing to do so will render the instructions invalid. And starting next April, dentists won’t be allowed to specify brand-name drugs, only active ingredients. This policy may later be expanded to other medical specialists.

A woman hands over her prescription but leaves the pharmacy empty-handed. That’s because her prescription is labeled “Do Not Substitute,” meaning that the drug listed can’t be replaced with equivalent medications. To save patients a trip in vain, the National Health Insurance Administration will require dentists to explain their reasoning for not allowing substitutes, starting in October. If no reason is provided, the pharmacy will be permitted to dispense generics.

Chiang Hsi-jen
Taiwan Dental Association
A cancer patient who has undergone surgery may need specific drugs. So in that kind of scenario, it might not possible to substitute with another drug. But most prescriptions written by clinics are for anti-inflammatory drugs or pain relievers, which can usually be substituted.

Member of public
If the effect of the drugs is the same, I think it should be OK.

It remains to be seen whether the policy can work for chronic patients, who must take medications regularly. In the policy’s second phase, which starts next April, dental prescriptions may no longer list brand names, only active ingredients.

Liu Lin-yi
National Health Insurance Administration
The policy allows for more flexibility in prescriptions. It can also make it more likely that patients follow doctors’ orders, and reduce the likelihood that they interrupt the treatment, mitigating potential health risks. So this initial trial will roll out for 6,900 dental clinics around Taiwan.

The NHIA hopes the policy will change public attitudes and reduce health risks. If the dental clinic trial is successful, the policy may be expanded to other clinics and hospitals.

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Kaohsiung mayor visits disaster-stricken areas in Zihguan District

Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai on Monday visited disaster-stricken areas in the city’s Zihguan District. Farmers say last week’s typhoon heavily damaged their crops. They’re hoping to receive government subsidies to get through a difficult time. Chen says the city will work with the central government in providing all the necessary aid, including low-interest loans and subsidies.

Looking across a large area of farmland, one can see the sudden destruction of the farmers’ hard work, with vegetable leaves and roots scattered and rotten after the heavy rain.

Farmer
There is nothing we can do if it rains. I hope the government can provide subsidies to help.

Farmer
Everyone has lost so much. I myself have lost tens of thousands of NT.

Zihguan District in Kaohsiung has more than 250 hectares of vegetable fields. It mainly grows leafy greens such as water spinach and bok choy, as well as heat-resistant vegetables such as winter melon and loofah. It is one of the main vegetable supply and distribution centers in Southern Taiwan, with a daily output of about 200,000 tons. In the wake of the damage from Typhoon Gaemi, Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai visited Zihguan District early Monday morning.

Chen Chi-mai
Kaohsiung mayor
We will request that subsidies from the Ministry of Agriculture be handled with priority, leniency and speed, so that our farmers can resume production as soon as possible.

President Lai Ching-te had instructed the Ministry of Agriculture to announce a comprehensive assistance program for Kaohsiung’s agricultural industry. It will provide low-interest loans, which will be interest-free in the first six months, as well as subsidies for fertilizer and other materials. Considering the seriousness of the disaster in Zihguan, people are concerned about problems in the supply of vegetables.

Liu Chen-hua
Tzukuan Farmers’ Association
There is no problem with getting through a time when crops are scarce. A rolling storage system is operating, and has been supplying produce for two days. In addition to 50 tons of cabbage, we have a lot of tubers and vegetables, and a small amount of leafy greens.

It will take about a month for leafy greens to be replanted and harvested in Zihguan District. The Kaohsiung City Government says it will work with the central government and hopes to help farmers complete post-disaster recovery as soon as possible.

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Pingtung middle schooler builds a temple festival in miniature

And now we meet a school student with a very impressive hobby. Pingtung junior high school student Hsiao Cheng-hou has built a whole temple festival in miniature. He creates temple processions, mini gods and even temple buildings in his home workshop. Everything from the carpentry to the painting on the ritual objects is Hsiao’s own handiwork. It’s so finely made, he’s already booked an order from a buyer who wants to collect his models.

A sedan chair for a deity bounces down a busy street as part of a temple festival.

Firecrackers are set off to the sound of drums and cymbals. These kids are having great fun. Look closely, and everything from the god’s sedan to the ritual offering tables and the altar seem to be under a magnifying glass.

There are even miniature versions of the gods in this tiny temple where imitations of the real ceremonies can be acted out. All these models were made by the talented Mr. Hsiao.

All the gods, military deities and other temple tools are smaller than your hand. Open up the god’s sedan and you find a tiny lamp inside. Hsiao Cheng-hou is a seventh grader and has always loved temple festivals. Now he’s set his hand to creating his own tiny temples.

His meticulous work makes even the offerings on the altar look just like the real thing. These detailed models are all made in Hsiao’s secret workshop.

It’s on the top floor of the home. Here he measures out each material to the millimeter, and saws up his own wood.

Hsiao Cheng-hou
Temple model maker
I started watching temple festivals when I was little, and I thought it would be fun to do this. I’ve been doing it throughout the summer vacation, gradually learning things, and the more I do it the more I love it.

Hsiao is completely self-taught, and relies on his careful observation of the festivals around him. He gets his materials online or orders them at bookstores. Sometimes he’s lost in the project for an entire day.

Liang Shu-mei
Grandmother of Hsiao Cheng-hou
I think it stops him getting into trouble. He’s at home, we don’t have to go off looking for him. I think he does it well. It’s what the kid is interested in.

Hsiao Cheng-hou
Temple model maker
This is handpainted. It took me more than a week.

Hsiao often brings the models out to play with friends. They set out a big table and act out the whole festival in miniature. A collector has already bought some of his miniatures. With his extensive knowledge of temple culture, and his love for the art, Hsiao knows how to make the most of his summer.

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Cold noodles must be preserved properly to prevent bacteria

It’s refreshing to have cold noodles when the weather is so hot, but food safetycan be a concern. Customers often have an upset stomach after eating them, even at famous spots. There’s one cold noodle shop in Taipei that uses three fridges set at different temperatures to make sure their ingredients stay fresh. Doctors advise that it’s best to finish cold noodles in one sitting and separate the sauce and noodles when putting them in the fridge.

These cold noodles with sesame sauce may look simple, but the shop uses three fridges to maintain the ingredients’ quality and ensure food safety.

Mr. Su
Noodle shop owner
Most traditional cold noodle shops will put the noodles and sauce in a pot and serve from that. But it’s easy for bacteria to grow during this process when the weather is hot. When we prepare the noodles, we refrigerate the sauce in separate bottles, taking out only as much as we need. The preserved eggs we are about to use are first put in a cold fridge, next to the fridge for noodles. We move them to the fridge in front when needed.

The three fridges are kept at different temperatures, one to preserve food, then another to prepare it for use, and the last out front for making orders. The owner puts the noodles in paper bowls, separates the sauce into individual packets, and puts the cucumber slices into a container. Then everything is put in the fridge to prevent bacteria growth.

Mr. Su
Noodle shop owner
Not only do we make this for customers, but we also eat it ourselves, so it’s important that it’s safe. We always ask customers when they plan to eat and how far they have to walk. If they have to walk too far in the heat, we will advise them not to buy it because it may go bad.

Bacteria can increase by over 100 times if cold noodles are left at room temperature for three to four hours. Unfinished cold noodles should be put in the fridge in an airtight container or bag. As humidity is key to bacteria growth, doctors say the noodles and sauce should be stored separately and finished the next day.

Cheng I-ching
Gastroenterologist
The problem with cold noodles is that they must be left out to cool after being cooked. Bacteria grows easiest in food at 5 to 60 degrees. If left out for two to four hours, the bacteria growth could be enough to cause food poisoning. It’s best to finish the meal within two hours or put it in the fridge to preserve it.

It’s refreshing to eat cold noodles in the summer, but pay attention to food safety to stay healthy.

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