It was the beginning of the end for the Taipei Children's Museum of Transportation and Communications when, in 2004, the museum's ostriches and alligators slipped out of their exhibition pens and wandered the streets of Gongguan.
"The alligators crossed Dingzhou Road and the ostriches were found in an alley," museum director Lee Meng-feng (
"It was an accident," Lee added.
But the Taipei City Government took a dim view, the museum head said, adding that the city's Department of Education saw the incident as one more problem in a string of setbacks at the museum.
Though city-owned, the museum is privately run, and has been teaching youth the importance of traffic safety for more than a decade, Lee said.
He added that 200,000 paying visitors come to the museum yearly, with many more visiting its free exhibits.
However, the museum's popularity among children and parents, especially those on a shoestring budget, hasn't deterred the department from planning its demise, he said.
Department secretary-general Tang Te-chi (
"We conducted an evaluation of the museum's operations, determining that they fell below the standards in our contract with the company," Tang said in a telephone interview.
Expiring on April 12, the contract won't be renewed, Tang said, saying that the Council of Hakka Affairs wanted to convert the museum into the world's biggest "Hakka Cultural Center."
Lee conceded yesterday that some parts of the museum were in disrepair, and that his company had experienced fiscal problems. But, he added, the company had already sunk NT$160 million (US$4.85 million) into establishing quality exhibits.
The city government, meanwhile, has barely chipped in to maintain the museum, letting the property fall into disrepair while Lee's company struggles to make a profit despite its huge investment, he added.
"Not once did a department official visit their own museum to evaluate our operations," Lee said.
Responding to Lee's allegations, Tang said his department didn't have to send its people to the museum to understand its situation; an independent panel did that.
"[Lee] shouldn't put the blame on us," Tang said, adding that the operational responsibilities were clear in the contract.
"[Lee] should bear the brunt of the blame [for the museum's failures]," he said.
Though many of the museum's exhibits are simple and "static" -- a shortcoming that Lee admits to -- some, like the 3D posters of high-speed trains and jet fighters, are a big hit, Lee said.
Clean, open spaces, such as the miniature movie theater featuring educational programs, are also important to kids who need a place to "hang out," or to cash-strapped grandparents who appreciate having a place to bring their grandchildren after school, he said.
Whether or not a Hakka museum could play such a vital role for the neighborhood remains to be seen, Lee said.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
RSS