The Liberty Times Editorial: Preparing for the worst scenarioSeveral incidents that occurred within the space of a week have shown just how rapidly things can change in Taiwan. First there was a major power outage on May 13, causing rolling blackouts that affected 4 million users throughout the nation. Although panic buying of daily necessities was short-lived, concern over a potential outbreak was pressing on everyone’s minds. Our effective response to the COVID-19 pandemic thus far can be attributed to the lessons we learned fighting the SARS epidemic 17 years ago. There are also concerns within the international community over Taiwan’s security, given continued military harassment by China.

Control Yuan investigates Yushan National Park fireBAD NAME: A government employee who allegedly caused a fire that might result in up to NT$10 million in damages hurt the image of civil servants, officials saidBy Shelley Shan / Staff reporterThree Control Yuan members are to investigate a forest fire at Yushan National Park that was allegedly caused by a civil servant, the government oversight body said yesterday. A National Airborne Service Corps helicopter dumps water onto a forest fire at Yushan National Park in Chiayi County yesterday on the ninth consecutive day of the blaze, which is so far estimated to have destroyed 71 hectares of forest. The three Control Yuan members said that their investigation would focus on whether Chiao and his companions secured permits to enter the park and whether they breached other regulations during the hike. Meanwhile, officials overseeing forests and national parks would be held accountable if they did not thoroughly enforce the Forestry Act and National Park Act (國家公園法) by cracking down on people illegally starting fires in national preservation areas. People accidentally causing a forest fire could face up to two years in prison, which can be commuted to a fine of up to NT$300,000 (US$10,733), the Forestry Act stipulates.

COVID-19: CECC reports 287 new cases, six deathsCLOUD SYSTEM: People who undergo PCR testing can access their test results through the NHIA’s mobile app, instead of waiting for a phone call, Chen Shih-chung saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 287 new local COVID-19 infections, 170 backlogged local cases and six deaths. Most of the cases live in Taipei and New Taipei City: 142 in New Taipei City, including 32 in Banciao District (板橋), and 77 cases in Taipei, including 38 in Wanhua District (萬華), the center said. Of those, 88 live in Taipei, including 48 in Wanhua, 73 live in New Taipei City, including 17 in Banciao, six live in Changhua County, and one each in Hsinchu City and Yilan and Yunlin counties, it said. Test recipients can check their PCR test results by using the “My Health Bank” (健康存摺) function in the National Health Insurance Administration’s (NHIA) mobile app (全民健保行動快易通), he said. In addition to positivity rates, daily confirmed cases and distribution of cases, there are other indicators to be considered, he said.

COVID-19: Four areas ban on-site diningBy Cheng Ming-hsiang and Tsai Ssu-pei / Staff reportersFour areas yesterday announced a ban on on-site dining at food and beverage establishments to curb the spread of COVID-19. Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as Pingtung and Yilan counties, said that the ban would be in effect from today until Friday. A food courier checks a takeout order in front of a restaurant in Taipei yesterday. The tougher measure is being imposed as the COVID-19 situation has not eased as hoped, he said. While the positivity rate at rapid COVID-19 testing sites in the city had reached a low of 4.6 percent on Wednesday last week, it climbed to 8.5 percent on Saturday, he said.

CHOLERA BLUESDuring the 1831 cholera outbreak in Sunderland, England, the government enforced a quarantine on ships arriving at the local port, hitting trade. An illustration depicting the 1665 Great Plague of London. Samuel Pepys wrote about the 1665 Great Plague of London in his diary. “So home and late at my chamber, setting some papers in order; the plague growing very raging, and my apprehensions of it great,” Pepys wrote. Nietzsche once remarked that “If a man has character, he has also his typical experience, which always recurs.” So with history.

Fubon aiming to raise NT$50bn to buy Jih Sun stakeBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterFubon Financial Holding Co (富邦金控) plans to raise NT$50 billion (US$1.79 billion) in fresh capital in August or September by issuing new common shares and preferred shares so it can buy the remaining 46.16 percent stake in Jih Sun Financial Holding Co (日盛金控), Fubon Financial president Jerry Harn (韓蔚廷) said. According to Fubon Financial’s plan, it would raise NT$30 billion by issuing 500 million to 750 million new common shares and NT$20 billion by issuing 333 million preferred shares. Fubon Financial Holding Co’s headquarters are pictured in Taipei on Dec. 20, 2011. After Fubon Financial acquired majority control of Jih Sun Financial on March 23, the firm recognized its assets of NT$365 billion, which increased Fubon Financial’s assets by 13 percent year-on-year to NT$969 billion. Taipei Fubon Commercial Bank’s (台北富邦銀行) mortgage lending increased 9.3 percent year-on-year to NT$662 billion as of the end of March, it said.

Marriage equality gains supportTWO YEARS AFTER LEGALIZATION: An Executive Yuan survey found that an increasing number of Taiwanese also support adoption rights for same-sex couplesBy Lu Yi-hsuan and Kayleigh Madjar / Staff reporter, with staff writerAttitudes toward gender equality have continued to improve, especially toward marriage equality, with more than 60 percent of people now agreeing that same-sex couples should have the right to marry, an Executive Yuan survey found ahead of today’s two-year anniversary of Taiwan’s marriage-equality legislation. The Cabinet’s Gender Equality Committee yesterday announced the results of its annual telephone survey on attitudes toward gender issues. A total of 5,871 couples have registered marriages from May 24, 2019 — when the Legislative Yuan legalized same-sex marriage — to April 30, the committee said. Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei TimesThe survey showed that support for marriage rights has continued to rise, with 60.4 percent of respondents expressing support compared with 52.5 percent last year, it said. Over the past two years, Taiwanese society has become enriched by the appearance of more diverse families, yet there have also been a number of lawsuits fighting for equal marriage rights, the alliance said.

COVID-19: SMS registration used for tracing ‘confirmed cases’NO MASS SURVEILLANCE: An interior ministry official said users’ telecoms see the number, the date and time, and the venue’s code — which they already haveBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe free short message service (SMS) registration launched by the government last week so that retail stores and restaurants could record customers’ contact information is only to be used for tracing the contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, not for mass surveillance, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. All businesses and public venues are required to record their customers’ contact information for possible use in contact tracing, after the center raised the COVID-19 alert to level 3 for the whole nation on Wednesday last week. A woman scans a QR code to register her contact information before entering the Zhongxiao-Fuxing MRT Station in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei TimesDeputy Minister of the Interior Chen Tsung-yen (陳宗彥), who is deputy head of the center, yesterday said that free SMS registration is only used to trace the contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases. The venue would not keep a record of the information and the center would only request records from service providers once cases were confirmed, Chen said.

PCB makers look for new sources of waterMANY FACTORS: Raw material price hikes are likely to dent PCB makers’ Q2 earnings, but not so much if Asian currencies fall against the US dollar, Yuanta analysts saidBy Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporterLocal printed circuit board (PCB) makers are planning alternative water sources — such as using recycled water, preparing water storage facilities or hiring water trucks to transport water from remote areas — in anticipation of more stringent water rationing as the nation’s most severe water shortage in 56 years worsens. Photo: Tsai Ching-hua, Taipei TimesThe analysts said the water shortage is affecting PCB makers’ production in the second quarter, while the outlook for the third quarter remains uncertain. “Industrial water supply costs NT$12 per tonne, while water delivered by water tank costs NT$400 per tonne. Based on our estimates, water accounts for 0.2 percent of PCB suppliers’ production costs,” Yuanta analysts said. “Persistent raw material price hikes are likely to continue to suppress PCB makers’ earnings in the second quarter of this year,” they said.

COVID-19: Taiwan adds 321 new virus casesDELAYED REPORTING: An additional 400 cases were integrated into the past week’s reports and the updated figures showed that new infections peaked on MondayBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 321 new local COVID-19 infections and two deaths, while an additional 400 cases that had been delayed in reporting have been added to the daily confirmed cases reported from Sunday last week to Friday. Two imported cases were also confirmed yesterday, said Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center. The 400 delayed cases have been added to the previously reported cases following “regression calibration,” he said. After the correction, the daily reported cases would be 245 for Sunday last week, 406 for Monday, 325 for Tuesday, 359 for Wednesday, 360 for Thursday and 349 for Friday, CECC data showed. The center integrated the cases with past infections instead of reporting them as newly confirmed cases to gain a better understanding of the actual daily COVID-19 situation and to implement suitable response measures, Chen said.

Disinformation targeting is increasing: politicianBy Ko Yu-hao and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writerChinese disinformation campaigns are becoming more selective over their targets, while the messages show an increased level of customization to target audiences, the Taiwan Statebuilding Party said on Friday. The message said that Taiwan Statebuilding Party Taoyuan chapter head Lan Shih-po (藍士博) had been filmed entering a meeting with Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) members, Chou said. He immediately suspected that the message was a “phishing” attempt and warned his colleagues, Chou said. An encrypted file sent with the message had a Chinese Internet protocol address, another indicator that it was a Chinese attempt at disinformation, he said. The incident indicates that Beijing’s disinformation campaign is getting more sophisticated by the day, he said.

Justices say copyright law sanctions constitutionalOPTICAL DISILLUSIONMENT: A lawyer said penalties for specifically using optical disks were disproportionate with the offense and contravened constitutional rightsBy Wu Cheng-feng and William Hetherington / Staff reporter, with staff writerA law punishing copyright infringements involving the sale or public distribution of reproductions on optical disks with a minimum six-month prison term is constitutional, the Council of Grand Justices ruled on Friday. Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Lin Hui-huang reads aloud the Council of Grand Justices’ Constitutional Interpretation No. Other copyright crimes are punishable by a maximum three-year prison term with no minimum prison term or fine, the lawyer said, questioning the imposition of a minimum term for breaches specifically involving optical disks. The law says that copyright infringements involving optical disks are prosecutable without complaint, meaning that a defendant faces criminal charges even if they reach an agreement with the copyright holder. Liu’s lawyer said that application of these laws also harmed Liu’s constitutional rights and requested an interpretation.

Putting the ‘spike’ in perspectiveBy Ian Inkster 音雅恩Quite a lot of mileage is being gained in the Western press with reports of a COVID-19 “spike” in Taiwan over the past few days. In other words, even within low-COVID-19 East Asia, Taiwan remains the tall one standing. The first is the low level of vaccinations in East Asia. The third clear danger is the partial knowledge of what composes the new spike in Taiwan, especially the virulence of the type of virus. Of course, Taiwan has already banned arrivals from India, but the exact variant distribution within the new spike remains to be verified.

Control Yuan to probe teahousesPUBLIC SECRET: More than 100 teahouses with hostess services operate in Wanhua, but authorities have not cracked down on them, a Control Yuan member saidBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe Control Yuan yesterday launched an investigation into the alleged sex trade in Taipei’s “teahouses,” as the establishments draw greater attention after they were linked to a cluster of COVID-19 infections in Wanhua District (萬華). Control Yuan member Lin Kuo-ming (林國明) said that local officials have been negligent in addressing the matter, after teahouses, known as “A-gong diam” (阿公店) in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese), were shown to be the center of a COVID-19 cluster. A lane along Guangzhou Street Night Market in Taipei’s Wanhua District is pictured on Tuesday. Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times“As local authorities have not cracked down on such contraventions, a probe will be launched into the matter,” Lin said. Although the teahouses along Wanhua’s streets and alleys are among the nation’s most famous, there are similar businesses on a smaller scale in other cities and towns.

They are to be considered for a third reading on May 31, the final day of the current legislative session, Legislative Speaker You Si-kun (游錫堃) said. Legislators conduct a videoconference test at the legislature in Taipei yesterday to prepare for a potential closure of the Legislative Yuan building due to COVID-19 prevention measures. People sit at tables with dividers at the legislature in Taipei yesterday, the last session before it closed until Friday next week as part of disease prevention efforts. Meanwhile, the Legislative Yuan yesterday tested holding sessions through videoconferencing during the morning session, which You said was a “historic” moment. Meetings at the Legislative Yuan have been suspended for a week starting today amid a surge in locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.