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MOE will respect the law for memorial hall works

Minister of Education Tu Cheng-sheng (杜正勝) said yesterday that the ministry would abide by the law in a dispute with the Taipei City Government over a plan to renovate National Taiwan Democracy Memorial Hall, formerly known as Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall.

Tu made the remarks in response to questions on whether the ministry would proceed with a plan on Tuesday to remove an inscription alluding to dictator Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) at the gateway of the memorial hall and replace it with "Liberty Square," (自由廣場) as well as remove a tablet reading "Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall" above the main monument.

The Taipei High Administrative Court on Friday rejected a Taipei City Government injunction request to bar the ministry from changing the inscription, but ruled that the city government, which has categorized the memorial hall as a historical relic, had jurisdiction over its protection and "did not need to request an injunction and could arrest anyone caught destroying the historical relic."

The city government's top cultural official reaffirmed the city government's intention to deal with the matter according to the law.

Lee Yung-ping (李永萍), director of the city government's Department of Cultural Affairs, urged the ministry not to start the renovation work illegally lest civil servants and construction companies face criminal charges.

She said the High Administrative Court had ruled that the city government has jurisdiction over the memorial hall. If the ministry insists on going ahead with its plan without applying for city government approval, personnel could be prosecuted.

They could face prison terms of up to five years and the civil servants responsible could see their prison term lengthened by a half, she said.

The renovation work is part of the government's campaign to expunge the last vestiges of the dictator's rule.
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