Prosecutors' offices throughout Taiwan have begun investigating construction companies' responsibility for the heavy losses suffered in Tuesday's quake that devastated parts of Nantou, Taichung and Taipei counties.
Lin Yi-hsin (林義信), owner of the construction company that built the "Doctor's Home," a 12-story building in Hsinchuang in Taipei County which collapsed in the quake, was arrested on Friday along with the building's architect, Lien Chih-chien (連志謙).
Prosecutor Chen Ming-hsiang (陳銘祥) of the Panchiao Prosecutor's Office ordered an immediate freeze on the assets and property of Lin, Lien and others related to the construction of the building.
Prosecutor's offices in Taipei are charging some involved in the construction of buildings that collapsed with negligence and public endangerment.
The Taichung Prosecutor's Office yesterday barred 13 construction company owners and architects from leaving the country, including the owner of the Cheng-hsiang Construction Company (晟翔建設), the company that constructed the Taichung Dynasty Community (台中王朝) complex and Tung-shih Dynasty Community (東勢王朝) complex. Both residential communities suffered serious damage during the earthquake.
However, by taking no action against the Hung-tsong Construction Company (宏總建設), builders of the New Life Park Community (新生活公園) complex in Taiping (太平) in Taichung County, however, the government has angered some residents.
Two of the four high-rise buildings in the New Life Park Community suffered serious damage during the quake. Eleven people in the community of 345 apartments died as a result of the disaster, as of yesterday, and an unknown number are still trapped in the rubble.
A self-help association (自救會) of residents discovered that empty salad oil bottles were used in the construction of the building's structural walls. They also found that steel reinforcing bars in the concrete were not solidly attached to each other.
The self-help association in Tali (大里) in Taichung County expressed similar concerns. As of noon yesterday, 19 were dead and 17 missing in rubble that once was the Taichung Dynasty Community complex.
Wang Chuan-yi (王傳益), head of the association, stated that buildings collapsed due to shoddy construction. Residents also expressed concern over the sluggish pace of the current investigation
While the prosecutor's office has barred the owner of the construction company from leaving the country, the owner's relatives are not subject to the same limitations. Residents fear the owner will transfer the building's ownership rights to his relatives, complicating prosecution of the case.
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source
SHOT IN THE ARM: The new system can be integrated with Avenger and Stinger missiles to bolster regional air defense capabilities, a defense ministry report said Domestically developed Land Sword II (陸射劍二) missiles were successfully launched and hit target drones during a live-fire exercise at the Jiupeng Military Base in Pingtung County yesterday. The missiles, developed by the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST), were originally scheduled to launch on Tuesday last week, after the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday long weekend, but were postponed to yesterday due to weather conditions. Local residents and military enthusiasts gathered outside the base to watch the missile tests, with the first one launching at 9:10am. The Land Sword II system, which is derived from the Sky Sword II (天劍二) series, was turned