Virus Outbreak: Record 922 firms furlough staff amid slowdown: ministryStaff writer, with CNAMore than 900 companies had furloughed employees as of the end of last month, an indication that the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to hurt local businesses, especially smaller ones, Ministry of Labor data showed. Ministry of Labor statistics released on Friday showed that 18,840 workers from 922 companies have been placed on unpaid leave, an increase of 575 workers from 118 companies from a week earlier. Larger firms have been less likely to put employees on temporary leave because of subsidies received from the government, Huang said. The manufacturing sector had 6,501 workers on unpaid leave, the most of any sector over the past week, ministry data showed. The hospitality sector followed with 4,304 employees on temporary leave, while the retail and wholesale sector had 3,645 workers furloughed and the supportive services sector had 1,332.

Virus Outbreak: Three new cases end six-day streakTAKE PRECAUTIONS: Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung said it would be unacceptable if local cases occur because people stop protection measuresBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported three new imported cases of COVID-19, marking the end of six consecutive days with zero cases confirmed in Taiwan. Of the nation’s 432 confirmed cases, 324 have left isolation after being treated, he said. Health authorities can handle the treatment and contact tracing for sporatic cases, Chen said. “However, it is unacceptable if local infections occur because people fail to perform personal protection measures. The center’s decisions about easing disease prevention regulations would be based on whether people are practicing personal protection measures, not on how many consecutive days of no domestic cases have passed, he added.

University dropouts hit historic highBy Rachel Lin, Wu Po-hsuan and Dennis Xie / Staff reporters, with staff writerDropouts in the last academic year constituted a record-high 13.38 percent of all university students in Taiwan, the Ministry of Education said. Of the nation’s 1.24 million university students in the last academic year, 166,562 decided to stop pursuing a university degree temporarily or permanently, ministry data showed. While Taiwan has seen a steady number of university dropouts over the past several years, the annual dropout rate has been increasing due to a declining number of total students caused by the nation’s falling birthrate, Department of Higher Education Director-General Chu Chun-chang (朱俊彰) said on Monday. The rates differ between universities, but generally private universities have higher dropout rates than public schools, while night schools have higher rates than day schools, Chu said. National Chung Hsing University professor Wu Tung-hsing (武東星) called on universities to draft more flexible course regulations for first-year students.

Virus Outbreak: CECC loosens rules on visitors to care facilitiesLIMIT OF THREE: Visitors for each resident would be limited to one group per day of at most three people, including children, CECC head Chen Shih-chung saidBy Lin Chia-nan / Staff reporterThe Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday relaxed restrictions on visits to long-term care facilities ahead of Mother’s Day next week, as no new cases of COVID-19 were recorded for the sixth straight day. Visitors should register with facilities, while each resident should only receive one group of at most three people per day, including children, Chen said. People walk in a daylily field in Changhua County’s Huatan Township yesterday, the first day of the three-day Workers’ Day weekend. Residents and visitors should wear masks, he said, adding that those who have difficulty walking would be allowed to receive visitors in their rooms. The center presented six watermelons at yesterday’s news briefing to mark six consecutive days of no new COVID-19 cases.

CPC cuts LNG prices this monthBy Natasha Li / Staff reporterState-run oil refiner CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said it is cutting prices of liquefied natural gas (LNG) this month by 10.14 percent on a monthly basis. Effective today, LNG prices would be cut by between NT$30.9 (US$1.04) and NT$46.35 (US$1.56) for households, CPC said. A CPC Corp, Taiwan gas station in Guanyuan in Hualien County’s Sioulin Township is pictured yesterday. Photo: Huang Pei-chun, Taipei TimesThe company is to maintain the prices of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from last month, which includes LPG for household use, industrial-use propane, butane and propane-butane mixture, despite rising international LPG prices. Citing previously absorbed costs of NT$0.9 per kilogram, CPC said it would seek compensation through higher pricing when international prices fall.

KMT legislators blast ruling on police murderBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterChinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers yesterday criticized a Chiayi District Court ruling on Thursday absolving a man of murdering a police officer last year. When the train arrived at Chiayi Railway Station, police officer Lee Cheng-han (李承翰) boarded the car to try to remove him. The ruling has disheartened many police officers, KMT Legislator Yang Chiung-ying (楊瓊瓔) said in a speech before a legislative meeting. It is only interested in whether [Cheng] is in a state of mental disorder in the heat of the moment,” KMT Legislator Lee Guei-min (李貴敏) later told a news conference in Taipei. KMT caucus secretary-general Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said the ruling represented a “second injury” for members of Lee’s family.

Bill seeks to close citizenship loopholeENHANCED SECURITY: The proposed amendment would require Chinese citizens to present proof of having renounced their citizenship to obtain permanent residenceBy Sean Lin / Staff reporterA proposed legal amendment to close a three-month gap between Chinese citizens becoming naturalized Republic of China (ROC) citizens and renouncing their Chinese citizenship yesterday proceeded to committee review. The proposal, sponsored by Democratic Progressive Party legislators Wu Ping-jui (吳秉叡) and Lin I-chin (林宜瑾), seeks to amend Article 17 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (台灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) by prohibiting Chinese citizens from obtaining ROC citizenship before they have provided documentation proving that they have renounced their Chinese citizenship. The grace period creates a loophole in which some Chinese have dual nationality and dual household registration, resulting in a breach in the nation’s border controls, the lawmakers said. Although rules are already in place to prevent people with dual nationality from serving as publicly elected delegates, the act remains at odds with the Civil Service Employment Act (公務人員任用法), resulting in Constitutional Interpretation No. 768, which states that people with dual nationality must not work as government-contracted physicians, Ho said.

The Chiayi District Court on Thursday found Cheng not guilty of murder because of his mental state and set bail at NT$500,000. The High Court yesterday ordered the district court to hold another bail hearing, in which prosecutors argued that Cheng should remain incarcerated. National Police Agency Director-General Chen Ja-chin, second right, visits the Railway Police Bureau’s Taipei Station at Taipei Railway Station yesterday. He still poses a danger to the public,” Chiayi District Prosecutors’ Office Chief Prosecutor Tsai Ying-chun (蔡英俊) said on Thursday. They asked the High Court to give Cheng at least a life term to keep him out of society.

Landis Tainan to close as pandemic hits revenueBy Crystal Hsu / Staff reporterTayih Landis Hotel Tainan (台南大億麗緻酒店), a franchise of Landis Hospitality Group (麗緻餐旅集團) and the first five-star facility in the city, is to close on June 30, citing declining business caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Tayih Landis Hotel Tainan yesterday announced that it is to close on June 30 as its revenue has been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The closure came after the hospitality group in March shut down its hotel in Taichung, where Cathay Life also owns the building. Aside from the pandemic, Tayih Landis also had to deal with intensified competition as almost all domestic hotel brands now have a presence in Tainan, and more are planning to enter the market. The past few years have seen the entry of Silks Place Tainan (台南晶英酒店) and Hotel Cozzi (和逸) under Cathay Hospitality Management Co (國泰商旅), an affiliate of Cathay Life Insurance.

Wang contributed 14 points and five rebounds, while Chou Po-hsun added 11 points and six rebounds in an all-round team performance. It was Taiwan Beer’s fifth championship title in the SBL’s 17 seasons, putting them level with Pauian Archiland for most league titles. Taiwan Beer head coach Chou Chun-san was elated to win the title, which made him the first person in SBL history to win championship titles as both a player and coach. “I needed each of our players to do their part, and they were fantastic this season,” Chou said. “Not too many foreign players in Taiwan would agree to such hard training regimens, but they did,” he added.

Manny Ramirez eyeing return to TaiwanAFP, TAIPEIFormer MLB star slugger Manny Ramirez is eyeing a comeback in Taiwan, the first nation to start its baseball season amid the global COVID-19 pandemic. Manny Ramirez, left, and E-United Group chairman Lin Yi-shou hold up an EDA Rhinos jersey in Kaohsiung on March 12, 2013. “He never lost his touch he still got it Opportunity is there for a come back for China Professional Baseball League,” Zepeda said on Twitter. “I know if I was given the opportunity to come in an organization as a player-coach, it would do great things for the organization and the league,” Ramirez said. Ramirez was credited for boosting attendance in Taiwan’s once-struggling baseball league, despite only playing for three months before moving on to Japan.

CAL, EVA shares extend relief loan-linked ralliesLIMITED-USE: State-run banks are to provide loans of NT$20 billion to both airlines, which can only use the funds to cover operational expenses such as salariesBy Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporterChina Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) shares yesterday continued their rally for a fourth day as the market welcomed news this week that the two airlines were each approved to receive relief loans of NT$20 billion (US$671.1 million). CAL gained 1.6 percent to NT$8.25 and EVA rose 1.77 percent to NT$11.5 in Taipei trading. However, CAL and EVA have this year seen their shares plunge about 20 percent and 25 percent respectively, Taiwan Stock Exchange data showed, as the COVID-19 pandemic has slashed demand for travel. UNI Airways is a subsidiary of EVA, while Mandarin Airlines is a unit of CAL. In establishing the relief scheme for airlines, the government set strict rules on how the funds can be used, with CAL and EVA saying that they would comply with the regulations.

Virus Outbreak: Youth rights groups call on officials to boost labor safetyBy Sherry Hsiao / Staff reporterYouth rights advocates yesterday called on the central government to offer better labor protection to workers who are recent graduates or still in school, saying that they should not be forgotten as International Workers’ Day is celebrated today. A survey of 727 workers aged 24 and younger, conducted from Thursday last week to Tuesday, was released yesterday by the Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare. Youth rights advocates yesterday hold a news conference in Taipei to present the results of a survey by the Taiwan Alliance for Advancement of Youth Rights and Welfare. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said that they did not know what government relief measures are in place for workers aged 24 and younger. Independent Legislator Freddy Lim (林昶佐) urged the government to better educate young people about their labor rights, saying that part-time jobs, which many young people take on, are different than full-time jobs.

The six-satellite Formosat-3 constellation was launched on April 15, 2006, atop a Minotaur rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The rocket that carried the Formosat-3/COSMIC satellite constellation is pictured in an undated photograph; the constellation is to be officially retired today after 14 years of service. Despite generating a relatively small volume of data — about 2 to 3 percent of all data used in weather forecasting — Formosat-3 contributed to reducing forecast errors by 10 percent, the ECMWF said. “As of Monday last week, there are 4,551 registered community users from 92 nations that used the data,” the NSPO said. The Formosat-7 constellation, which is also comprised of six satellites, was launched on June 25 last year.

Rail police killer accused acquitted by Chiayi courtBy Jason Pan / Staff reporterThe man charged in the slaying of a railway police officer last year was acquitted of murder by the Chiayi District Court yesterday, with judges saying that the suspect, surnamed Cheng (鄭), had a mental disorder. The parents of Lee Cheng-han (李承翰), the 25-year-old railway officer killed in July last year, were at the court. Photo: CNA“My son was killed in the line of his duty as a police officer and the court gave a not guilty ruling,” he said. When the train arrived at Chiayi Station, Lee Cheng-han boarded the car to try and remove him. Lee sacrificed his life to protect passengers, but the Chiayi District Court ruled that the perpetrator is not guilty and granted bail of NT$500,000,” it said.