A number of Taipei city councilors yesterday accused the Farglory Group (遠雄集團), which is the contractor charged with building the Taipei Dome, of defying the Taipei City Government’s order to halt construction over safety concerns, prompting Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to call Farglory an “unscrupulous company” and order an on-site inspection of any possible violations.
At a city council question-and-answer session, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Wang Wei-chung (王威中) presented video footage he took of the construction site, which showed several workers apparently welding on the building’s roof and on beams of a nearby hotel, which Farglory has proposed should be connected to the Taipei Dome complex.
The number of metal sheets on the Taipei Dome’s exterior has also been increasing, Wang said, adding that he had received many reports from residents of Farglory continuing construction in a stealthy manner.
Wang asked Ko and Taipei Department of Urban Development Commissioner Lin Jou-min (林洲民) why construction had been resumed, despite a city government ordinance in May ordering the suspension of work at the site.
The company had only been allowed to complete work on the arena’s lightning protection system and its foundation, which had raised safety concerns over perceived damage it had caused to the Taipei MRT’s Bannan Line, Lin said, adding that the work under way in the footage resembled neither.
“This is what you call an ‘unscrupulous company.’ We will administer the strictest punishments allowable by law,” Ko said.
The mayor ordered the department to launch an inspection of the construction site yesterday afternoon.
When asked by Wang if Ko head campaign adviser Chang Ching-sen (張景森) had substituted deputy mayors Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) and Charles Lin (林欽榮) in the city government’s negotiations with Farglory, Ko said that Chang had, but added: “At the end of the day, all negotiations went back to Teng and [Charles] Lin.
In response to questions whether others might have improperly carried out negotiations on behalf of the city, Ko said there have been “scam gangs” claiming to be city representatives that have profited from negotiations with the developer.
“There are all kinds of scam gangs. They are everywhere these days,” Ko said. “Some people have told me that the city government negotiated with them [Farglory] and took their money. This must mean that they have been scammed.”
“Farglory has been scammed. This is what I heard,” Ko said.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS