Lianhe Zaobao: Plasticizers Fight Taiwan's Blue-Green Political War

China News Service, June 3 Singapore’s “Lianhe Zaobao” published a report from Taipei on the 3rd that the storm of food safety triggered by the black cloud was fermented in Taiwan’s political arena, becoming a political artillery fire between the two blue and green camps.

The article is extracted as follows:

The storm of food safety triggered by the black heart clouding agent has fermented in Taiwan’s political arena, and has become a political artillery fire between the two blue and green camps.

Qiu Yi, the KMT’s “legislator” who spearheaded the gunfire, has been biting the dead DPP for days. He pointed to Lai Junjie, who is the person in charge of plasticizers in the clouding agent, as the long-term owner of the green camp and his son. Lai Pu was the "assassin" for the party's "legislative" election next year, showing that the relationship between the two parties was "uncommon."

Qiu Yi broke the news last night in TVBS "2100 All Peoples Talks" political commentary. He accused the "Dr. Director of Health" of the Democratic Progressive Party, Li Liangming and his "Legislative Committee" Huang Shuying, as the "culprit of this plasticizer storm." Indirect connivance does not contaminate food.

He expressed relevant documents yesterday, said Li Liang in September 28, 2000 in a "Department of Health" announcement, relax the administration of edible spices and compound additives, eliminating the registration requirements, independent management by the manufacturers, so that the black heart Manufacturers can take the opportunity to sacrifice the health of the population in order to reduce costs.

Qiu Yi pointed out that Huang Shuying spoke at a public hearing held by the “Environmental Protection Department” in 2009 and made a statement to the “EPA” requesting that the DEHP lead to a decrease in the number of male sperm and infertility. More home-grown research was used as a reference to prevent the authorities from classifying "(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate" (DEHP) as the first class of poisons that are prohibited or strictly restricted.

For Qiu Yi’s fierce offensives in recent days, the Green Camp also launched a full-scale counterattack, referring to the “ruling party’s” tactics of discrediting and trying to shift focus when the public was panicked and dissatisfied with the storm of plasticizers.

DPP spokesperson Chen Qimai once dismissed Qiu Yi’s “exaggerating the Lord” as “no target”, indicating that the party never obtained political contributions from Lai Junjie or Yan Shen, but nominated “legislators” within the party. Lai Kun Shen was not referred to, nor was it recommended by the party or "local" community, indicating that the party wanted to set off the company's intention to cut off the plasticizer storm. Several green camp "legislators" yesterday also approved the authorities "to shirk responsibility and fight mud."

Li Liangliang explained yesterday that the regulation of food additives will cause trade obstacles to food exchange. Relaxation simplifies the process. However, the matter was implemented before he took office and should not be counted on him.

There is public opinion that the DPP and the pro-green media appear to be relatively convergent and low-key on the black cloud incident.

According to reports, the company’s Shaodong Laiwu was a reporter in the English newspaper “Taipei Times”, a pro-green freelance newspaper. Therefore, it was reported that the green camp had “protected people”.

In order to reverse the image of “supervising the lack of strength of the government,” the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has put forward requests for the resignation of officials. Chen Qimai said yesterday that "Chief of Health" Qiu Wenda and "Environmental Protection Director" Shen Shihong should step down and apologize for the delay in management, decision making, and evading responsibility for the "losing of toxic emissions" by the "EPA".

The official investigation of the illegal addition of plasticizers took place yesterday. More than 1,400 people were dispatched and 6,219 were inspected. They accepted more than 18,000 items of manufacturing goods investigated and dealt with by the “Health Bureau”, and 738 companies were required to make corrections within a limited time.

The “Executive Yuan” yesterday passed an amendment to the "Food Hygiene Management Law," and is punishable by an administrative fine of NT 60,000 to 6 million for violators, and imprisonment and detention of those who violate the law and cause harm to human health. Or a fine of up to 10 million yuan. The "Legislative Yuan" will conduct a review today.

However, Chen Shouhuang, the “Second Minister of the Legal Affairs Department” stated that the amendments are not retroactive. At present, the two companies involved in the case, Yi Shen and Bin Han Company, cannot pursue the case with a new law. In this regard, the prosecutor intends to promote the inclusion of “thousand-faced terms”, that is, the incorporation of poisons or other harmful human health substances in food and drink articles or other articles can be punished with imprisonment of not more than seven years, thus achieving the effect of severely penalizing unscrupulous traders.

The storm of plasticizers in Taiwan continued to expand. As of noon yesterday, the number of contaminated products under the supervision of the “Department of Health” reached 786, 249 more than the day before yesterday. In addition, the “EPA” also stated last night that only Taiwan, South Asia, Liancheng, and Lien are manufacturing plasticizer DEHP manufacturers in Taiwan. Currently, 18 companies in the lower reaches of Liancheng have not been honestly notified and have already been fined NT$10. Ten thousand yuan to 500,000 yuan.

In addition to food, one study found that due to the high degree of plasticization in Taiwan's home environment, the concentration of indoor plasticizers is much higher than in the rest of the world, with DEHP accounting for 90%. Professor Li Junyin of the Institute of Environmental Medicine at the University of Success pointed out that the general domestic dust in Taiwan has an average DEHP concentration of 1.37 milligrams per gram of dust, which is the highest in the world. Excessive use of plastic products may cause girls to become precocious puberty and suffer from allergic asthma risk. Increased.