Taipei County Government Cultural Affairs Bureau chief Lin Po-yu (
"We acknowledged the importance of Leseng Hospital for its cultural and historical value. However, the cost of delaying or changing the MRT project would be too high," Lin said.
The bureaus and the MRT held a meeting yesterday to discuss the demolition plans of the 70-year-old hospital, a move which drew serious criticism from advocates of preserving the hospital.
"[The national] Council for Cultural Affairs [CCA] promised to review the historical value of the hospital," said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬). "Both the bureau and MRT, however, ignored CCA's efforts and hospital patients' human rights with closed-door discussions on destroying the sanatorium."
In response, Lin Po-yu said that the bureau has been studying alternative plans that would allow the MRT line and the hospital to co-exist.
"But we have no solutions so far, and the government can not risk delaying the MRT project," he added.
Hospital preservation advocates denounced the bureau for what is says is its planned destruction of a historical site and violation of human rights. They called on the the bureau and the MRT to abide the newly revised Cultural Heritage Preservation Law (
"Under the law, a potential historical site that has been under review can not be destroyed during that period. We ask the bureau and MRT not to go against the law," said Lai Tse-chun (
If their efforts are unsuccessful, the scheduled construction of MRT's Sinjhuang Line will force the demolition of the sanatorium and require patients to move to a new hospital.
In an effort to preserve the hospital and protect the human rights of more than 300 patients, CCA reportedly promised last month to abide by the law and preserve the hospital as a historical site.
CCA Vice Chairman Wu Chin-fa (吳錦發) reportedly said that the council will act as an arbiter among the different government agencies to seek a solution for both sides, and try to list the hospital as a historical site as soon as possible.
But after the CCA decided to review the hospital, the Executive Yuan authorized the bureau and MRT on Jan. 31 to decide the fate of the hospital, according to Lin Shu-fen.
Chen Zai-tian (
"I was forced to live in the hospital at the age of 16," he said. "More than 50 years later and under a different government, I am still treated as a second-class citizen who can't even decide where I want to live."
Echoing Chen's opinion, another patient, Tang hsiang-ming (
"Leprosy has been proven to be a non-infectious disease, but we never received an apology from the government for keeping us in the hospital," Tang said. "Instead, they want to kick us out from one prison to another one."
Lin said that the bureau will provide a comfortable living environment for patients in a new hospital if Leseng Hospital is demolished. In addition, all historical documents will be well-preserved.
But that is not likely to satisfy critics of the move.
"The government always put its interests above human rights and historical value," Chen said. "Once the hospital is destroyed, both its beauty and its patients will be hurt, and they will never fully recover."
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
RSS