Taiwan was hit by a wave of deaths and hospitalisations...

Taiwan was hit by a wave of deaths and hospitalisations from the consumption of bootleg rice wine that contains methanol, a poisonous substance found in industrial alcohol.
According to the local media reports, 21 people died after allegedly consuming the toxic wine, though official figures put the death toll at just one person. A dozen others, mainly indigenous people who like the cheap wine, were hospitalised and some may lose their eyesight, the reports said.
President Chen Shui-bian's government, still reeling from the political fallout following a recent mass protest by farmers over financial reforms, formed an ad-hoc committee to deal with the crisis.
It announced stiff measures against bootleggers, including imposing the death penalty on offenders.
The problem first came to light in October when it was reported that a man in the north-eastern county of Ilan died after drinking fake rice wine, which was believed to have contained methanol.
More cases of methanol poisoning surfaced across the island, sparking panic among Taiwanese who commonly use the wine in cooking.
Cheap bootleg rice wine started flooding the market after Taiwan, which officially joined the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in January, withdrew subsidies and imposed a NT$90 (S$20) tax on the popular cooking wine.
Analysts said the government should reduce the wine tax to discourage bootlegging.
The Finance Ministry, which decides on the wine tax, said it was considering halving the tax on the wine to curb the problem.
The rash of poisoning cases also prompted the police to launch an island-wide crackdown on the bootleggers.