Builders and government officials were given reduced sentences yesterday by the Taiwan High Court, partially reversing a lower court decision finding them responsible for the death of 28 residents at the Lincoln Mansions disaster in Taipei County.
Residents of the ill-fated buildings, who have fought for compensation since the disaster in 1997, called the ruling "incredible," and challenged the court's rulings.
"It's such an obvious and outrageous example of corruption links between the contractors and the officials. How could the court take it so lightly?" said Chou Chih-chuan (
FILE PHOTO
"Throughout the process of negotiations, we residents have been disappointed by the irresponsible attitude of the builders and the government agencies. A lot of the residents have felt so hopeless that they're on the verge of killing themselves," Chou said.
"People say the disadvantaged can have their rights protected in court. But I doubt it really," Chou said.
The Lincoln Mansions was a housing complex with over 1,000 units in Hsichih, Taipei County. Built on hillside land, the complex suffered mass damage after rain from a typhoon caused the collapse of a retaining wall behind the complex.
Twenty-eight people were killed by the collapse of several buildings and over 300 units were destroyed in the disaster. Residents of other units subsequently moved out of the complex when serious construction faults were found in the buildings after the accident.
An investigation by the prosecution found that the contractors and the designers of the complex were responsible for the accident.
Also, the investigation identified 13 Taipei County Government officials who forged documents confirming building standards in the licensing process.
The Shihlin District Court convicted 18 defendants -- five builders, one designer and twelve officials -- in 1998, while acquitting a defendant who was an official. Sentences ranged from two to 10 years prison terms.
However, the High Court reversed the lower court decision yesterday, reducing sentences for most of those convicted in the construction fault case.
The contractor for the complex, Lee Tsung-hsien (李宗賢), who was originally sentenced to 10 years and six months in jail, had his sentence reduced to four years and five months by the High Court yesterday.
The jail sentence for the designer of the residences, Lu Chung-yao (盧正堯) was reduced to eight years and six months from the original nine years and 10 months.
Moreover, the High Court found not guilty eight of the 12 previously convicted officials on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Sentences for the other guilty officials ranged from five years to seven years in jail.
Lee, the number one target of the residents' legal actions, was found guilty by the district court under charges of profiteering, falsification of documents and professional manslaughter.
However, the High Court cited a supreme court precedent in quashing Lee's profiteering charge, suggesting the charge can only be used against public servants.
An addition to the criminal proceedings, the Lincoln Mansions residents have filed civil suits against the builders and also filed requests for state compensation.
Negotiations have also continued between representatives of the residents, the builders, and the government, with meetings taking place every month.
A Chinese freighter that allegedly snapped an undersea cable linking Taiwan proper to Penghu County is suspected of being owned by a Chinese state-run company and had docked at the ports of Kaohsiung and Keelung for three months using different names. On Tuesday last week, the Togo-flagged freighter Hong Tai 58 (宏泰58號) and its Chinese crew were detained after the Taipei-Penghu No. 3 submarine cable was severed. When the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) first attempted to detain the ship on grounds of possible sabotage, its crew said the ship’s name was Hong Tai 168, although the Automatic Identification System (AIS)
An Akizuki-class destroyer last month made the first-ever solo transit of a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force ship through the Taiwan Strait, Japanese government officials with knowledge of the matter said yesterday. The JS Akizuki carried out a north-to-south transit through the Taiwan Strait on Feb. 5 as it sailed to the South China Sea to participate in a joint exercise with US, Australian and Philippine forces that day. The Japanese destroyer JS Sazanami in September last year made the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force’s first-ever transit through the Taiwan Strait, but it was joined by vessels from New Zealand and Australia,
CHANGE OF MIND: The Chinese crew at first showed a willingness to cooperate, but later regretted that when the ship arrived at the port and refused to enter Togolese Republic-registered Chinese freighter Hong Tai (宏泰號) and its crew have been detained on suspicion of deliberately damaging a submarine cable connecting Taiwan proper and Penghu County, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement yesterday. The case would be subject to a “national security-level investigation” by the Tainan District Prosecutors’ Office, it added. The administration said that it had been monitoring the ship since 7:10pm on Saturday when it appeared to be loitering in waters about 6 nautical miles (11km) northwest of Tainan’s Chiang Chun Fishing Port, adding that the ship’s location was about 0.5 nautical miles north of the No.
SECURITY: The purpose for giving Hong Kong and Macau residents more lenient paths to permanent residency no longer applies due to China’s policies, a source said The government is considering removing an optional path to citizenship for residents from Hong Kong and Macau, and lengthening the terms for permanent residence eligibility, a source said yesterday. In a bid to prevent the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from infiltrating Taiwan through immigration from Hong Kong and Macau, the government could amend immigration laws for residents of the territories who currently receive preferential treatment, an official familiar with the matter speaking on condition of anonymity said. The move was part of “national security-related legislative reform,” they added. Under the amendments, arrivals from the Chinese territories would have to reside in Taiwan for
RSS