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Mayor expresses regret over show

"I regret that the central government did not negotiate with the city government in advance about the move."

Hau Lung-bin, Taipei mayor

Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday expressed regret over the government's decision to light up the "2008 Taiwan" message on Taipei 101 before the fireworks show began at the countdown party on New Year's Eve.

The Tourism Bureau had originally planned to light up the message right after the fireworks were set off, displaying "Taiwan" immediately after the fireworks exploded and then showing the heart shape. The message, however, was illuminated at about 10pm.

"The message was lit up two hours ahead of schedule to coincide with President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) saying `Taiwan lights up' during the countdown party in Kaohsiung," Hau said yesterday after attending the jogging activity in front of the Taipei City Hall.

"I regret that the central government did not negotiate with the city government in advance about the move," he said.

While the Taipei City Government was not a sponsor or co-host of the show, Taipei 101 required city government approval for its traffic plan and the importing of fireworks for the show as the city government enjoys jurisdiction over the building, which is located in the Xinyi business district.

Michael Liu (劉家豪), an assistant vice president of Taipei 101, had expressed the organization's wish not to displease either the city government or the Tourism Bureau over the display of the message on the building during a meeting at the Taipei City Council last month.

"Taipei 101 is a business organization. We've been working with the Taipei City Government to host the show, and we will keep the show a joyful event this year and prevent any provocative moves," Liu was quoted as saying during the meeting.

Hau thanked city government staffers and performers at the countdown party and participating residents for making the party a success.

The party in front of the city hall attracted about 460,000 participants last night, according to the police.

The MRT saw a record 1.93 million passengers on New Year's Eve and the early hours of New Year's Day, according to figures released yesterday by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC).

The passenger count, recorded from 6am on Dec. 31 through 6am on Jan. 1, marked an increase of 360,000 passengers compared with the 1.57 million recorded for the same time last year, TRTC officials said.

MRT services hit peak frequency after 4pm on Monday, with one train departing every 135 seconds, the officials said.

Additional reporting by CNA
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