Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) filed a lawsuit this week against the director of the clinical research division of the National Health Research Institutes, Su Ih-ren (
Earlier this week Su said that the government's plan to build the park was primarily to coordinate with the development of THSRC's station in northern Hsin-chu.
He also said that the project has turned into a "black hole" as it has proved unprofitable to date and that Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲), the president of the Academia Sinica, was partly responsible as he was the coordinator of the case.
In response to Su's claim, Lee said he was not involved in the decision-making process behind the scheme and demanded an apology from Su.
THSRC chairman Nita Ing (
The real problem, she said, extends from rivalries between different factions in the medical field.
The purpose of the legal action is to present and clarify the facts, she added.
Su said earlier that the establishment of the science would help finance THSRC's operation.
Wang, on the other hand, claimed that the National Science Council purchased the land from the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) for NT$4 billion (US$125 million).
The ministry, however, did not list the revenue on the year-end balance sheet, he said, and claimed the proceeds might go to THSRC's account.
Independent Legislator Lin Wei-chou (
Lin said he believes Su did so to help the person in charge of the preparation of the park who is reluctant to yield the power.
Lin called Su's claim "a product of struggling for the authority to lead the case."
Meanwhile, the launch of Taiwan's first bullet train could be delayed after lawmakers released records about subsidence discovered in track sections in Miaoli County.
Yesterday the company invited lawmakers of the legislature's transportation committee and the media to personally examine some of the sections in question.
The company said 35 instances of subsidence had been detected and repaired. The company will continue to monitor the tracks and promised to improve the situation before he train is scheduled to begin operating in October.
"The train is our bread and butter," said Ted Chia (
Wu Fu-hsiang (吳福祥), director general of MOTC's bureau of high speed rail, said the contract signed later between the high speed rail bureau and THSRC dictated that the company has to gradually increase the number of trains and passengers within six months of the facility opening.
The contract also said that both parties have to set a definite date at some point during the six months, after which the company will run 60 trains a day.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
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