The Ministry of Transportation and Communications last night announced that it may appeal the Taiwan Administrative Court's decision on the operation of the new electronic toll collection (ETC) system for the nation's freeways.
The court issued a verdict on Friday saying that the Taiwan Area National Freeway Bureau made the wrong decision when it chose Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co (
If appeals fail, Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co may be asked to abandon its contract with the ministry to install the nation's first ETC system, and the ministry would have to launch a new bidding process for the project.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Kuo Yao-chi (
If appeals fail, "the rights of car users who already installed OBUs will be our priority," she said. She added that if the government loses its appeal, it will consider managing the system itself.
The Consumers' Foundation said yesterday that the government should give up any further appeals to the Supreme Court and halt the project. Cheng Jen-hung (
"The verdict from the administrative court gives the government the chance to redeem itself," Cheng said. "The freeway bureau should forgo any further appeal and redesign the ETC system."
Far Eastern chairman Douglas Hsu (
Hsu said that the company will leave open the option of negotiating a new contract with the government.
Meanwhile, legislators yesterday urged the government to nationalize the ETC system. People First Party (PFP) Legislators Liu Wen-hsiung (
"[The ministry] should ask Far Eastern Co. to suspend its installation of the ETC system and the government should take over the construction," Liu said.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Yeh Yi-jin (
Yeh said the government should investigate the bidding process for the project and punish officials who are in charge of government policy on the project.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus whip Pan Wei-kang (
"The Legislature should bear the responsibility to investigate the ETC bid in connection with collusion between government and businesses," she said.
Also see story:
Ruling on ETC dispute leaves motorists hanging
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique