TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An Indonesian citizen traveling to Taiwan was fined NT$200,000 or nearly Rp100 million for violating the country’s biosecurity law. He was caught carrying a lunch box containing pork and roast chicken, which were detected by sniffer dogs upon his arrival in Taipei from Hong Kong on April 30, 2024.

Taiwan's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency posted the findings on social media. Following the 2018 outbreak of African swine fever in China, the Taiwanese government imposed a ban on the import of all pork products from areas affected by the disease.

First-time offenders face a fine of NT$200,000, while subsequent quarantine violations have been increased to NT$1 million.

Outbreaks of African swine flu have been reported in several Asian countries, including China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Cambodia, North Korea, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, South Korea, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, India, Malaysia, Bhutan, Thailand, Nepal, Singapore, and Bangladesh.

Taiwan is among the few Asian countries that have remained unaffected by the disease.

Reportedly, the Indonesian traveler was unable to settle the penalty and was promptly deported.

The World Animal Health Organization cautioned that the disease is highly transmissible among domestic pigs and wild boar, with a mortality rate reaching 100 percent. Although the virus is not perilous to humans, it has a deleterious effect on pig populations and livestock.

The organization also stated that the African Swine Fever virus is highly resistant to the environment as it can survive on clothing, boots, wheels, and other materials, as well as various pork products, such as ham, sausage, or bacon.

“Therefore, human behavior can play an important role in spreading this pig disease across borders if adequate measures are not taken,” the organization underlined as quoted from Australian news site, news.com.au.

NEWS.COM.AU

Editor's Choice: Bird Flu Found in Western China as US Combats Cattle Outbreak

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News