Independent Taipei mayoral candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday announced that if elected, he would create a cellphone application that operates similar to the 1999 hotline, so that residents in the city can report any problems through the app instead of having to make a telephone call.
“Right now, residents in the city can report problems to the city government by dialing 1999, but it is the age of smartphones, there should be more options for people to report problems they encounter,” Ko told a press conference to publicize his policy platform.
He said there are many advantages to reporting to the city government through a smartphone application.
Photo: Wang Min-wei, Taipei Times
“For example, when people want to report an case of illegal parking, they can take a picture of the car so all the information about the violation, including the license plate number, is submitted,” Ko said. “When a picture is sent, the GPS data can be included, so the city authority would know exactly where the car is parked.”
Ko said that when everything is digitalized, it would be easy for the city government to collate information about issues, as well as locations where people commonly encounter particular problems, making it easier for policymakers to draw up more specific laws.
Ko said that while he would push for the app to be implemented, the 1999 hotline would still be operational, so that residents would have options according to their needs.
Meanwhile, Ko was asked to comment on media reports saying that Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei mayoral candidate Sean Lien (連勝文) returns to The Palace each night despite saying that he would move out of the luxury apartment complex.
Lien said yesterday that he was just there to park his car.
Ko said the issue was none of his concern.
“Did he return to The Palace and stay there for the night or was he only there to pick up something?” Ko said.
“Well, where he lives is not really an issue. He can live wherever he likes,” Ko said.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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