The Presidential Office yesterday rejected claims that it had lied about the alleged expansion of the Boai Special District (博愛特區) and attempted to pin the blame on the Taipei City Government.
Presidential Office Spokesman Wang Yu-chi (王郁琦) said the office had not lied, but instead had repeatedly sought to straighten out “misunderstandings.”
The National Security Bureau (NSB) proposal did not even mention the Boai Special District, Wang said.
“We were well aware it would invite criticism and have a dramatic impact on the residents,” he said. “So we never proposed expanding the Boai Special District.”
Wang’s remarks ran counter to the minutes he provided to reporters a day earlier.
In the appendix, although the terms “expansion” and “Boai Special District” were not mentioned, the bureau proposed including the area around the Presidential Office and residence in the “core zone of the capital,” with the height of buildings in the zone regulated and no new buildings permitted.
Wang made yesterday’s statement in response to questions about the criticism, including a complaint lodged by Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Chuang Ruei-hsiung (莊瑞雄).
Chuang accused the Presidential Office of lying about its plan to expand the Boai Special District and blaming it on the Taipei City Government after the plan sparked an outcry.
He called on the Presidential Office to apologize.
The special district is where the Presidential Office, the Ministry of National Defense and various other government buildings are situated.
Wang yesterday also dismissed claims that the Presidential Office and the Taipei City Government were passing the buck and that the office had accused the city government of being “too aggressive” in pursuing the plan.
Wang said the office only asked the city government to make “proper adjustments” to block the construction of taller buildings based on national security and presidential security concerns.
“To minimize the impact on contractors, we hope to take a soft approach, with contractors encouraged to build lower buildings within the district and government incentives offered for projects outside the district,” he said. “We appreciate the city government’s cooperation.”
Wang said President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) was not worried about his privacy, but many legislators and Control Yuan members were concerned about his security at the official residence because a 23-story apartment complex close to the presidential residence, I Pin Building, has a clear view of the presidential compound.
The I Pin Building plans were finalized during former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) presidency while Ma was Taipei mayor. The building lies outside the Boai Special District.
Chan Chun-po (詹春柏) called a meeting in August as Presidential Office secretary-general, Wang said, adding that the office asked the city government to make “proper adjustments” to block taller buildings from being built.
“We hope the city government will strike a balance between the rights of contractors and the public and presidential security,” he said.
Bowing to criticism, Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) on Wednesday revoked the new limit on the height of buildings in the vicinity of the Boai Special District.
The city had issued the restrictions on Aug. 10. It would have affected 39 projects, including the I Pin Building.
The city government said it would invite the bureau to attend reviews of construction projects in the special district.
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