5 mo. ago • 88%

Visitor to Taiwan hit with $9,000 fine over 'roast chicken and pork combo' lunch box

www.abc.net.au Visitor to Taiwan hit with $9,000 fine over 'roast chicken and pork combo' lunch box

Taiwan's customs officials issue a fine of NT$200,000 ($9,369) to a traveller for attempting to bring a lunch box containing pork into the country.

Taiwan's customs officials have issued a fine of NT$200,000 ($9,369) to a traveller for attempting to bring a lunch box containing pork into the country.

The Indonesian national had arrived from Hong Kong on April 30 when a quarantine dog sniffed out the "roast chicken and pork combo", said the Taiwanese Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency.

The traveller was reportedly unable to pay the fine and deported.

Taiwan introduced fines of NT$200,000 for bringing pork products to the island from countries affected by African swine fever (ASF) following an outbreak in China in 2018.

Fines increase to NT$1 million for subsequent breaches of quarantine.

41 comments

A better headline:

"Visitor to Taiwan attempts to break biosecurity law and is hit with a fine"

162
- I mean, that headline implies intentionality, no? I doubt the guy knew that his lunch would get him slapped with a $10k fine.
  
  I know I don't Google every single item in my bag to make sure that something like the type of cotton my socks are made of doesn't get me thrown in jail.
  
  58
  
  Anywhere with a biosecurity law has signs posted in the most popular languages. And they'll usually tell you not to bring food or animal products into the country in any form. And there are convenient trash cans in case you did bring something you need to get rid of before you hit customs.
  
  40
  
  He wasn’t jailed though. He was sent home.
  
  7
  
  They take pork products particularly seriously. At least on their flag carrier, China Airlines, it would be incredibly hard to ignore the video played prior to landing with the talking pigs specifically pointing this out.
  
  5
- Bioterrorist deported.
  
  -2
when this is the first sign you see stepping off an airplane in Taiwan, I ain’t bringing anything into the country …

33
- I read, "fuck you Britain and fuck your opium cartel past." Seems understandable on that specific front.
  
  3
- So pork is a narcotic now?
  
  -1
  
  I believe you may have missed the point
  
  4
A better headline, not written by an asshole:

"Tourist brings wrong lunch, fined $9,000 for pork combo"

15
- Better Headline yet: Reckless visitor tries to sneak in forbidden food and gets a fine.
  
  There is a reason for this ban, its announced everywhere, and you even have a chance to give it up before going through the checks. Its your responsibility to obey local laws, whether you like them or not.
  
  30
  
  I accidentally brought pork empanadas into the US on my carry on. I didnt want to keep them, they were kinda gross and was looking to toss them, they still made me wait in line somewhere and I missed my flight.
  
  2
- A better headline, not written by an asshole:
  
  "Tourist brings wrong sandwich, fined $9,000 for pork-chicken combo"
  
  2
What temperature do you have to cook pork to to destroy flu virus? USDA says 145⁰F, but that's more general for bacteria and parasites.

Cooked pork seems very low risk. Taiwan's policy does not appear grounded in science.

5
- What if it was only cooked to 130 or 140? Are they supposed to ask and trust everyone what temperature their lunch was cooked to?
  
  11
  
  Poor traveler thought they'd heat it up for them on arrival.
  
  3
- The article states that the virus is very resistant to many environmental changes and can “survive” for a long time on clothes, boots, and even some pork products. This is probably one of many issues involved during an outbreak.
  
  6
- Almost no countries allow meat products due to potential exposure that couldn't be easily seen. Sometimes for commercially prepared meats there are exceptions but these are in relatively few countries. For countries with substantial livestock keeping diseases out is critical to their economy and therefore treated with such a high level of urgency.
  
  5
Honest question: do these animal flu/fever survive cooking?

2
- Not proper cooking to a well temp, but you never really know if proper food safety practices were observed or not.
  
  6
When are these people going to learn?

Keep. Your meats. Separate.

Roast chicken today, roast pork tomorrow.

-7
- hides his meat lover's pizza
  
  8
  
  Pizza is, of course, always the exception when it comes to separating foods.
  
  2

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