President of Taipei transit agency to resign, officials say

Taipei Rapid Transit Corporation (TRTC) President Tsay Huei-sheng (蔡輝昇) is likely to step down for his poor handling of a recent accident after the decision is confirmed at a meeting on Monday, some Taipei City Government officials said yesterday, according to local media reports.

Tsay will be fired for poor supervision and for lying about an accident at a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station, officials said.

On the New Year's Eve, five passengers were injured on while riding a packed escalator at the MRT Taipei Main Station amid heavy crowds as people headed to major celebrations in the city. Two of the passengers were seriously hurt and the others sustained minor abrasions. One female passenger's hair became caught in the escalator, resulting in a tear to her scalp

According to Deputy Mayor Yeh Chin-chuan (葉金川), the testimonies of the five victims in the accident are different from that of Tsay, and the city government will make the final decision during the meeting.

"There are still several points that need to be clarified," Yeh said. "The company says there were not too many passengers at the time. But the victims say the station was extremely crowded due to the New Year celebrations."

"The company says the victims only suffered some minor injures. But the woman whose scalp was ripped obviously received over 100 stitches," Yeh said.

City councilors have also criticized the TRTC in the case.

The company does not have insurance for passengers, and has repeatedly refused requests to provide a surveillance videotape that captured the accident -- because Tsay feels that the videotape failed to capture the escalator completely, they said.