Fri, Jan 19, 2007 page2

• Blame game erupts over doomed Taipei museum

  SETBACKS Taipei's Children's Museum of Transportation and Communications looks set to close its doors for the last time soon despite its popularity with kids and parents

  • By Max Hirsch / STAFF REPORTER
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  It was the beginning of the end for the Taipei Children's Museum of Transportation and Communications when, in 2004, the museum's ostriches and alligators slipped out of their exhibition pens and wandered the streets of Gongguan.

  "The alligators crossed Dingzhou Road and the ostriches were found in an alley," museum director Lee Meng-feng (李孟峰) said, confirming media reports that firefighters coaxed the AWOL wildlife back to their pens.

  "It was an accident," Lee added.

  But the Taipei City Government took a dim view, the museum head said, adding that the city's Department of Education saw the incident as one more problem in a string of setbacks at the museum.

  Though city-owned, the museum is privately run, and has been teaching youth the importance of traffic safety for more than a decade, Lee said.

  He added that 200,000 paying visitors come to the museum yearly, with many more visiting its free exhibits.

  However, the museum's popularity among children and parents, especially those on a shoestring budget, hasn't deterred the department from planning its demise, he said.

  Department secretary-general Tang Te-chi (唐德智) confirmed yesterday that his department plans to pink-slip Lee's company in April, citing poor business.

  "We conducted an evaluation of the museum's operations, determining that they fell below the standards in our contract with the company," Tang said in a telephone interview.

  Expiring on April 12, the contract won't be renewed, Tang said, saying that the Council of Hakka Affairs wanted to convert the museum into the world's biggest "Hakka Cultural Center."

  Lee conceded yesterday that some parts of the museum were in disrepair, and that his company had experienced fiscal problems. But, he added, the company had already sunk NT$160 million (US$4.85 million) into establishing quality exhibits.

  The city government, meanwhile, has barely chipped in to maintain the museum, letting the property fall into disrepair while Lee's company struggles to make a profit despite its huge investment, he added.

  "Not once did a department official visit their own museum to evaluate our operations," Lee said.

  Responding to Lee's allegations, Tang said his department didn't have to send its people to the museum to understand its situation; an independent panel did that.

  "[Lee] shouldn't put the blame on us," Tang said, adding that the operational responsibilities were clear in the contract.

  "[Lee] should bear the brunt of the blame [for the museum's failures]," he said.

  Though many of the museum's exhibits are simple and "static" -- a shortcoming that Lee admits to -- some, like the 3D posters of high-speed trains and jet fighters, are a big hit, Lee said.

  Clean, open spaces, such as the miniature movie theater featuring educational programs, are also important to kids who need a place to "hang out," or to cash-strapped grandparents who appreciate having a place to bring their grandchildren after school, he said.

  Whether or not a Hakka museum could play such a vital role for the neighborhood remains to be seen, Lee said.
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