Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said yesterday that the government will not use its flood control budget to build office buildings, denying a media report suggesting that a government agency might use part of the budget for this purpose.
The China Times reported yesterday that the Water Resource Agency (WRA) proposed a special budget of NT$150 million (US$4.69 million) to build a regional flood control operation center after its previously budgeted NT$290 million for setting up a water information center was rejected by legislators.
According to the report, legislators rejected the agency’s plan on the grounds that the special budget for flood control should not be diverted for other purposes such as building new offices.
Wu said this issue should be reviewed objectively and said the government will never allow the WRA to spend such funds on establishing new office buildings or any form of entertainment center.
However, if the budget is used to set up a water information center that will be able to assist the government by quickly collecting and analyzing water information for use when making flood control decisions, “then we shall not rule out the possibility,” Wu said.
WRA Director-General Yang Wei-fu (楊偉甫) said it is absolutely vital to establish a flood control operations center, even though it is not strictly speaking a direct part of flood-prevention measures.
He said the proposed center would be able to collect information and dispatch equipment such as water pumps in the event of emergencies.
Yang added that the newspaper report was factually incorrect because the special budget for setting up a water information center was approved after the budgeted NT$290 million was cut back to NT$260 million.
In other news, police and local car mechanics warned car owners of the need to be particularly vigilant in the wake of Typhoon Fanapi, as the increased demand for spare parts for water-damaged vehicles could easily lead to a jump in car thefts.
“If your car is a popular model, you will need to stay alert because your car may become a priority target for thieves,” said Lee Wen-chang (李文章), deputy chief for Taipei City Police Department’s Criminal Investigation Corps.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG
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
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
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS