President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday visited the families of the four Chiayi construction workers washed away by floodwaters on Saturday and offered his apologies to the bereaved families in person.
Chen told the families that the government was at fault and would take full responsibility, promising the families compensation and to help take care of their livelihoods.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Chen offered an official apology for the government's failure to rescue the workers in time, amid criticism over what was called the government's incompetence.
Premier Tang Fei (
Instead, Vice Premier Yu Shyi-kun, who also headed the Cabinet's disaster prevention and rescue task force, resigned on Tuesday to take the blame.
National Police Administration Director-General Ting Yuan-chin (
Red tape and poor coordination between the air force and police has been blamed for the delayed dispatch of a rescue helicopter.
In addition, local fire-fighters were also blamed for not being able to implement effective measures to help the workers when they needed rescuing.
Continuing their pressure on the government, opposition lawmakers yesterday demanded that Vice Minister of the Interior Lee Yi-yang (
"Many agencies were responsible for the incident, and the fire-fighting and air police forces that were responsible for much of the mismanagement are all under the Ministry of the Interior," said Tseng Yung-chuan (
Both Minister of the Interior Chang Po-ya (
The lawmakers, from the KMT, New Party and People First Party, said that since Chang was abroad when the tragedy took place, Lee should be the one to take political responsibility on behalf of the interior ministry.
In response, Chang said the fatal incident was being "over-politicized" by the opposition parties.
The Ministry of the Interior (MOI) is to tighten rules for candidates running for public office, requiring them to declare that they do not hold a Chinese household registration or passport, and that they possess no other foreign citizenship. The requirement was set out in a draft amendment to the Enforcement Rules of the Public Officials Election and Recall Act (公職人員選舉罷免法 ) released by the ministry on Thursday. Under the proposal, candidates would need to make the declaration when submitting their registration forms, which would be published in the official election bulletin. The move follows the removal of several elected officials who were
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
FOUR DESIGNATED AREAS: Notices were issued for live-fire exercises in waters south and northwest of Penghu, northeast of Keelung and west of Kaohsiung, they said The military is planning three major annual exercises across the army, navy and air force this month, with the navy’s “Hai Chiang” (海強, “Sea Strong”) drills running from today through Thursday, the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday. The Hai Chiang exercise, which is to take place in waters surrounding Taiwan, would feature P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and S-70C anti-submarine helicopters, the ministry said, adding that the drills aim to bolster the nation’s offshore defensive capabilities. China has intensified military and psychological pressure against Taiwan, repeatedly sending warplanes and vessels into areas near the nation’s air defense identification zone and across
A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would severely threaten the national security of the US, Japan, the Philippines and other nations, while global economic losses could reach US$10 trillion, National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Lin Fei-fan (林飛帆) wrote in an article published yesterday in Foreign Affairs. “The future of Taiwan is not merely a regional concern; it is a test of whether the international order can withstand the pressure of authoritarian expansionism,” Lin wrote in the article titled “Taiwan’s Plan for Peace Through Strength — How Investments in Resilience Can Deter Beijing.” Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) intent to take Taiwan by force
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