The Kaohsiung City Government yesterday finally said that it would take action over a riot by Thai workers in Kaohsiung on Sunday night.
The city government has been accused of dodging its responsibility by not launching an investigation of the incident immediately after it happened.
Yesterday the city administration pledged to take action against the city's mass rapid transit (MRT) company if it was found to have used inappropriate policies to regulate Thai laborers hired to build the city's subway system.
PHOTO: LIN KUO-HSIEN, TAIPEI TIMES
"We will mete out punishments to the MRT company if it is found to have violated the Employment Services Act (
Chen dismissed criticisms that the city was indifferent to the workers grievances, saying that the city's Bureau of Labor Affairs and Department of Rapid Transit Systems swiftly responded the day after the riot.
He also shrugged off speculation that his father, Chen Che-nan (
"I telephoned my father and asked him whether he was involved in the selection process of broker companies; he told me `no,'" he said.
Chen Che-nan last night issued a statement saying he has nothing to do with the affair, and should any evidence prove the contrary, he was willing to undergo "the toughest discipline" and withdraw from the political arena immediately.
Speculation abounds that a former high-ranking official at the Presidential Office peddled influence to lobby for the importation of foreign workers for the million-dollar project and received kickbacks from labor brokers.
Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) Chairwoman Chen Chu (
The incident has brought into open the fierce competition between Chen Chi-mai and Chen Chu, who have been eyeing the city's mayoral election next year.
While Chen Chu's comments raised eyebrows, Chen Chi-mai remained low-profile until yesterday when DPP caucus whip William Lai (
Lai and Chen Chu are both members of the DPP's New Tide faction. Chen Chi-mai is a member of the DPP's Justice Alliance (
Chen Chi-mai has been serving as acting city mayor since Premier Frank Hsieh (
The Kaohsiung Prosecutor's Office has launched an investigation into the matter in response to Lai's request. Lai yesterday said that he would be happy to provide any information he had to prosecutors.
In a bid to improve the Thai workers' living environment, Chen Chi-mai yesterday announced that about 500 workers would soon be relocated to the city's employment training center, where there are 170 rooms.
Personnel from a local Presbyterian church will also be deployed to help run the center.
An Aboriginal lawmaker yesterday called on the government to review its foreign labor policy and to hire indigenous labor for major government construction projects.
Aboriginal Legislator Liao Kuo-tung (
Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesman Cho Jung-tai (
"The Kaohsiung City Government was only responsible for making sure that all the construction projects were completed on time. Nothing more and nothing less," Cho said. "Nobody had tried to talk to the premier who was then the Kaohsiung City mayor about this issue. Such a person never existed."
Critics have also lambasted Hsieh over his alleged indifference to foreign laborer' being treated like slaves. Cho said that it was not a problem of negligence.
"No foreign laborers have been complaining about the way they have been treated. That is also a fact," he said.
Additional reporting by Jimmy Chuang
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
Environmental groups yesterday filed an appeal with the Executive Yuan, seeking to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conditionally approved in February for the Hsieh-ho Power Plant’s planned fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving station off the coast of Keelung. The appeal was filed jointly by the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group, the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association and the Keelung City Taiwan Head Cultural Association, which together held a news conference outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei. Explaining the reasons for the appeal, Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) of the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group said that the EIA failed to address