The Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) yesterday gave the Far Eastern Electronic Toll Collection Co (遠通電收) a three-day deadline to come up with a well-organized resolution for the problems related to the electronic toll collection (ETC) system or else the government will end its ETC contract.
"It was the decision by the Taipei District Prosecutors' Office to indict former Far Eastern employee Tsai Chin-hung (
Both Systex Corp former assistant manager Tsai Chin-hung and Soong Nai-wu (
Systex Corp is one of Far Eastern's major shareholders.
Tsai Duei said that the clock will begin ticking on Monday. "Wednesday 5:30pm will be the deadline. If Far Eastern cannot come up with a well-organized resolution to guarantee the public's legal rights, we will cease the contract," said the ministry's vice minister.
Meanwhile, Tsai Duei urged motorists not to purchase any on-board units (OBU) or obtain OBU refunds in the three days before Far Eastern makes a response.
If Far Eastern fails to reply to the ministry's request before the deadline and the ministry decides to end the contract, Tsai Duei said that the ministry will then take care of the refund process and will figure out how best motorists can return their OBUs and get their money back.
"But, hopefully the ETC system will not be suspended and we will not have to end the contract," he said.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
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Advocates of the rights of motorcycle and scooter riders yesterday protested in front of the Ministry of Transportation and Communications in Taipei, making three demands. They were joined by 30 passenger vehicles, which surrounded the ministry to make three demands related to traffic regulations — that motorcycles and scooters above 250cc be allowed on highways, that all motorcycles and scooters be allowed on inside lanes, and that driver and rider training programs be reformed. The ministry said that it has no plans to allow motorcycles on national highways for the time being, and said that motorcycles would be allowed on the inner