The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) used the eighth anniversary of the 921 earthquake yesterday to condemn former Taipei mayor Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) for ignoring the losses of former residents of the Tunghsing Building (東星大樓), which collapsed during the devastating quake.
The 12-story complex was the only building in the capital to collapse completely during the earthquake, killing 87 residents, injuring 105 and leaving more than 250 homeless. The Taipei City Government has since refused to admit responsibility for the building's collapse and has been fighting a legal battle with former residents over the past eight years.
"The former residents were harmed not only by the earthquake, but also by Ma Ying-jeou. He said he would stand by them, but the city government has continued to fight the lawsuit," DPP Secretary-General Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) told a press conference yesterday at the party's headquarters.
After the earthquake, former residents filed a lawsuit against the city's Bureau of Public Works for issuing an operating license for the building despite its substandard construction.
Taipei City District Court ruled in 2002 that the Taipei City Government must pay approximately NT$480 million to the former residents, but the city government appealed the decision.
Lin said as a local government, the city government should not fight against its own residents, and criticized Ma.
"Ma is incompetent, selfish and hypocritical. The Tunghsing Building case should not be a legal issue, and should have been solved quickly if Ma really did sympathize with the victims and intended to take care of the city's residents," he said.
Ma yesterday declined to comment on the issue, saying that the city government had resolved the case.
Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) on Thursday rebutted the DPP's accusations, and said the city government had settled out of court with the residents.
Hau said the city government would put aside NT$120 million to compensate the residents and the building would be reopened next April.
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