The Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) accident reviews often exude an air of complacency as if the agency “embraces its shortcomings,” Premier William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday.
“The TRA had caused many accidents before. This time, it must engage in serious introspection and make strenuous efforts to introduce sweeping reform,” Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka quoted Lai as telling a news conference in Taipei.
The government must “let experience be its guide” and show determination to prevent similar tragedies if it is to live up to public expectations, Lai said after listening to a briefing by officials on Sunday’s derailment of a Puyuma Express train in Yilan County.
Photo: Lu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
The government would take the first step toward reform by conducting an impartial, open and transparent investigation into the incident, which would establish facts based strictly on evidence and hold accountable all agencies and people who bear responsibility, he said.
Lai said he has ordered the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to contract experts to thoroughly inspect the safety of the Puyuma Express trains, which must now decelerate at the curve before Sinma Station (新馬車站) in Yilan County until inspection results prove that faster speeds are safe.
The TRA must demonstrate resolve in completely reforming its passenger cars, tracks and personnel to boost efficiency and provide better service, he said.
The reform plan would be overseen by Minister Without Portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森), he said.
The Executive Yuan is also to form an independent “transportation safety committee” tasked with investigating major transportation accidents in the air, on land or at sea, the premier said.
The ministry is to draft an organizational bill for the proposed agency within a month and deliver it to the Legislative Yuan for review, he said.
The Executive Yuan has instructed the Ministry of Health and Welfare to ensure that hospitals provide people injured in the derailment with the best possible service, and ensure special attention is given to rehabilitation, Lai said.
It should ensure that people are provided continued support after they leave the hospital, he said.
Lai apologized for the incident and expressed his gratitude to the central and local government agencies, private sector and paramedics who helped with rescue and relief efforts.
Minister of Transportation and Communications Wu Hung-mo (吳宏謀) also apologized for the “grave death toll and casualties.”
Asked whether he would insist on resigning despite Lai’s request that he stay on, Wu said that he would leave the decision to his superiors.
However, the resignation of TRA Director-General Jason Lu (鹿潔身) has been approved, Wu added.
A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Yilan at 11:05pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter was located at sea, about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km, CWA data showed There were no immediate reports of damage. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Yilan County area on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. It measured 4 in other parts of eastern, northern and central Taiwan as well as Tainan, and 3 in Kaohsiung and Pingtung County, and 2 in Lienchiang and Penghu counties and 1
FOREIGN INTERFERENCE: Beijing would likely intensify public opinion warfare in next year’s local elections to prevent Lai from getting re-elected, the ‘Yomiuri Shimbun’ said Internal documents from a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) company indicated that China has been using the technology to intervene in foreign elections, including propaganda targeting Taiwan’s local elections next year and presidential elections in 2028, a Japanese newspaper reported yesterday. The Institute of National Security of Vanderbilt University obtained nearly 400 pages of documents from GoLaxy, a company with ties to the Chinese government, and found evidence that it had apparently deployed sophisticated, AI-driven propaganda campaigns in Hong Kong and Taiwan to shape public opinion, the Yomiuri Shimbun reported. GoLaxy provides insights, situation analysis and public opinion-shaping technology by conducting network surveillance
‘POLITICAL GAME’: DPP lawmakers said the motion would not meet the legislative threshold needed, and accused the KMT and the TPP of trivializing the Constitution The Legislative Yuan yesterday approved a motion to initiate impeachment proceedings against President William Lai (賴清德), saying he had undermined Taiwan’s constitutional order and democracy. The motion was approved 61-50 by lawmakers from the main opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the smaller Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), who together hold a legislative majority. Under the motion, a roll call vote for impeachment would be held on May 19 next year, after various hearings are held and Lai is given the chance to defend himself. The move came after Lai on Monday last week did not promulgate an amendment passed by the legislature that
AFTERMATH: The Taipei City Government said it received 39 minor incident reports including gas leaks, water leaks and outages, and a damaged traffic signal A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off Taiwan’s northeastern coast late on Saturday, producing only two major aftershocks as of yesterday noon, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The limited aftershocks contrast with last year’s major earthquake in Hualien County, as Saturday’s earthquake occurred at a greater depth in a subduction zone. Saturday’s earthquake struck at 11:05pm, with its hypocenter about 32.3km east of Yilan County Hall, at a depth of 72.8km. Shaking was felt in 17 administrative regions north of Tainan and in eastern Taiwan, reaching intensity level 4 on Taiwan’s seven-tier seismic scale, the CWA said. In Hualien, the
RSS