An online argument broke out late on Wednesday night between a Taipei City official and an architect’s group over the city’s handling of the Taipei Dome scandal.
A Facebook account bearing the name of Taipei City Department of Urban Development Commissioner Lin Jou-min (林洲民) was observed posting a series of apparently angry comments to the “Architecture Reform” (建築改革社) Facebook usergroup, which serves as a discussion board for professional architects.
Lin is a professional architect and managed his own company before joining the Taipei City Government.
In his post, Lin stated several “recommendations” for board discussion, in response to criticism of the city government’s handling of the Taipei Dome project.
“Brother Shih (史兄) — if I may, all you have posted on the Web site, I SAY THEY ARE ALL CHEAP SHOTS!” Lin said, apparently in response to previous comments by Shih Jih-shen (史季生) criticizing his interpretation of the city’s appropriate legal role in relation to the Taipei Dome project.
Lin’s department was directly responsible for a city order to immediately halt the Dome’s construction last week, as well as negotiations over the partial resumption of “pre-approved construction” thereafter.
“IT’S YOU AND ME. I’m here — your bro — if you have guts, don’t move!” he said.
He “advised” the architects on the discussion board not to “interfere” in the dialogue between the city government and its residents.
Lin’s post elicited a strong response from board members, drawing more than 130 comments.
After architect and university professor Juan Ching-yue (阮慶岳) wrote that “being a bit more humble would not do you any harm,” Lin retorted that he was “humble everyday,” adding that Juan had not been engaged architectural design for 18 years and was always “up in the air” (高來高去), far removed from the everyday concerns of Taipei residents.
The account bearing Lin’s name had previously been used to “friend” this reporter and appeared to be Lin’s personal account. He could not be reached for comment.
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