Countering criticism leveled at several projects undertaken during his administration, former Taipei mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) yesterday accused Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and his team of using “defamatory” tactics to hide their “ignorance” of municipal issues.
“Personally I found [the tactics] unbearable,” Hau, a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) member, said on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony for KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) at party headquarters.
Less than one month since Ko, who ran as an independent, was sworn in on Dec. 25, he has repeatedly cast doubt on the competence of the former Hau administration after examining several projects, including the Shezidao (社子島) development project, the Taipei Dome, the Taipei New Horizon (臺北文創) building, the MeHAS City (美河市) residential project, the Taipei Twin Towers (雙子星) and the athletes’ village for the 2017 World University Games.
Hau said the Ko administration had only revealed “half of the information” about these projects and given them a political spin to mislead the public.
The Ko administration should make all information public, which the city government has maintained for public scrutiny, Hau said.
All major development projects carried out under his administration were in strict compliance with statutory procedures and subject to supervision by the city government’s ethics department, he added.
“Absolutely [we] can withstand scrutiny,” he said.
The elections are over and the Ko administration should demonstrate how it can effectively govern the city, not by trampling on the previous administration to hide its ignorance of municipal issues, Hau said.
Hau said that he respected the Ko administration’s efforts to govern the city and wished it all the best, but he could no longer stand the criticism.
Asked whether he thought the Ko administration was on a “political witch-hunt,” Hau said he would leave it to the public to judge.
In response to Hau’s criticism, Ko said: “If you had openly and transparently made all documentation public when you were in office, there would not be any of this controversy.”
Ko said the city government would continue “putting out fires” left by the previous administration.
He has previously promised to open all documents related to corruption cases to inspection by city councilors.
Additional reporting by Abraham Gerber
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
RSS