The threat of further damage in the wake of yesterday's earthquake topped the list of the government's concerns as Premier Tang Fei (
"To minimize loss of life and property, we are calling for the immediate evacuation of areas threatened by mudflows and landslides," said COA Chairman Chen Hsi-huang (
Meanwhile, Tang said in an address, said that the NT$200 million the government had previously allotted for mudflow prevention measures would be available as soon as possible.
PHOTO: HUNG SHAO-CHIN, LIBERTY TIMES
Tang's statement was made in an effort to calm the frayed nerves of the residents of central Taiwan in the wake of yesterday morning's tremor, measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale. Central Taiwan residents are still suffering from the effects of the devastating 921 earthquake last year.
The NT$200 million was allotted in May to the Council of Agriculture (COA) to conduct a mudflow and landslide prevention project. The project was scheduled to be completed by June 22.
However, yesterday's tremor and a forecast of heavy rain have accelerated the project.
The Central Weather Bureau yesterday issued a three-day torrential rain forecast which prompted COA officials to establish a special team in a bid to provide solutions to possible mudflow threats in the mountain areas.
To determine whether ongoing mudslide defenses in disaster areas will be able to stand up to this week's expected heavy rain, central Taiwan-based COA officials investigated several threatened areas yesterday afternoon.
In Wukung borough (
"We are worried about the heavy rain because defensive construction has not been completed," said resident Li Ming-tung (
When Vice Premier Yu Shyi-kun inspected Wukung yesterday afternoon, officials from the COA's Soil and Water Conservation Bureau (
"If residents refuse to have their land requisitioned, it is very difficult for [the government] to conduct landslide and mudflow prevention work," said the bureau's director-general, Chen Chih-ching (
Wukung is one of 65 villages in central Taiwan listed as "at risk" from potential mudflows by the COA after the 921 earthquake.
However, evacuating people from these villages has become a challenge for the government. Residents have often refused the conditions offered by the government for requisition.
Yu demanded that Nantou County Commissioner Peng Pai-hsien (
"All dangerous villages have to be evacuated, but the government will provide residents with several alternatives for their relocation," Yu said, after inspecting Wukung.
Nantou County Commissioner Peng requested Vice Premier Yu provide a special military rescue team, which would be in charge of managing mudflow and landslide-related crisis professionally.
According to a COA survey completed following the 921 earthquake, about 8,620.6 hectares of collapsed land in central Taiwan have caused 370 creeks or rivers to become a danger to residents, especially during the rainy season.
SEPARATE: The MAC rebutted Beijing’s claim that Taiwan is China’s province, asserting that UN Resolution 2758 neither mentions Taiwan nor grants the PRC authority over it The “status quo” of democratic Taiwan and autocratic China not belonging to each other has long been recognized by the international community, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday in its rebuttal of Beijing’s claim that Taiwan can only be represented in the UN as “Taiwan, Province of China.” Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi (王毅) yesterday at a news conference of the third session at the 14th National People’s Congress said that Taiwan can only be referred to as “Taiwan, Province of China” at the UN. Taiwan is an inseparable part of Chinese territory, which is not only history but
CROSSED A LINE: While entertainers working in China have made pro-China statements before, this time it seriously affected the nation’s security and interests, a source said The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) late on Saturday night condemned the comments of Taiwanese entertainers who reposted Chinese statements denigrating Taiwan’s sovereignty. The nation’s cross-strait affairs authority issued the statement after several Taiwanese entertainers, including Patty Hou (侯佩岑), Ouyang Nana (歐陽娜娜) and Michelle Chen (陳妍希), on Friday and Saturday shared on their respective Sina Weibo (微博) accounts a post by state broadcaster China Central Television. The post showed an image of a map of Taiwan along with the five stars of the Chinese flag, and the message: “Taiwan is never a country. It never was and never will be.” The post followed remarks
INVESTMENT WATCH: The US activity would not affect the firm’s investment in Taiwan, where 11 production lines would likely be completed this year, C.C. Wei said Investments by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) in the US should not be a cause for concern, but rather seen as the moment that the company and Taiwan stepped into the global spotlight, President William Lai (賴清德) told a news conference at the Presidential Office in Taipei yesterday alongside TSMC chairman and chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家). Wei and US President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday announced plans to invest US$100 billion in the US to build three advanced foundries, two packaging plants, and a research and development center, after Trump threatened to slap tariffs on chips made
CONSISTENT COMMITMENT: The American Institute in Taiwan director said that the US would expand investment and trade relationships to make both nations more prosperous The US would not abandon its commitment to Taiwan, and would make Taiwan safer, stronger and more prosperous, American Institute in Taiwan Director Raymond Greene said. “The US’ commitment to Taiwan has been consistent over many administrations and over many years, and we will not abandon our commitment to Taiwan, including our opposition to any attempt to use force or coercion to change Taiwan’s status,” he said in an exclusive interview with the Liberty Times (the sister newspaper of the Taipei Times) on Friday last week, which was published in the Chinese-language newspaper yesterday. The US would double down on its efforts
RSS