The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus yesterday accused Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Eric Chu (朱立倫) of engaging in land speculation during his term as commissioner of the then-Taoyuan County.
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, DPP Legislator Chen Ting-fei (陳亭妃) said that when Chu served as Taoyuan County commissioner between 2001 and 2009, he used government resources to engage in land speculation on plots of land in the so-called “Jhongjheng Arts District” (中正藝文特區), by purposefully lowering the publicly announced values of the plots he intended to expropriate in the district, only to immediately raise them after seizure.
“Chu carried out the practice in five sections of the district. One of them, section 46, had a publicly announced land value of NT$33,000 [US$1,000 at current exchange rates] per ping [3.3m2] in 2004, but it was increased to NT$75,000 in 2007 after Chu seized the land in the section the same year,” Chen said.
Photo: CNA
Part of a larger urban development plan, the Jhongjheng Arts District was designated as a multi-purpose area near the Taoyuan Arts Center, which was opened in 2010.
The center covers 5.16 hectares, but the combined size of land expropriated by Chu’s administration amounts to 16.1 hectares, Chen said, adding that Chu later peddled large parts of the remaining plots to property developers to build luxurious residential complexes between 2006 and 2009.
Chen said that in 2006, the county government sold four plots totaling 5,537 ping at a price of NT$615,000 per ping, compared with the NT$140,000 that it paid to purchase the properties from their original owners.
“It appears Chu is our king of land speculation,” Chen said.
DPP Legislator Tuan Yi-kang (段宜康) said that a 30-year development ban was imposed on the 16.1 hectare area following its designation as a civic center in 1975.
“In 2004, under the pretext of building the arts center, Chu’s administration started seizing plots in the district despite strong opposition from their owners, Tuan said.
Tuan said that most of the expropriated plots had a publicly announced land value of about NT$460,000 per ping in 1999, but the prices were gradually lowered by the county government in the following years.
“Chu’s administration acquired the land at the lowest price, then sold it to corporations for a price several times higher,” Tuan said. “If you want to know what land speculation is, you may ask our beloved KMT Chairman Chu.”
Chu’s campaign office spokesperson Wan Mei-ling (萬美玲) said the DPP’s repeated attempts to revive old cases were evidence that the party has come to its wit’s end.
“We ask DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) not to hide behind her party members and shift the attention from her land speculation,” Wan said.
Starbucks Taiwan’s decision to charge for drink customization, which had been free, has sparked consumer backlash, highlighting the challenge of raising prices without making customers feel they are losing value, experts said. Since Oct. 12, customers who order drinks with less or no ice and ask to have the volume topped up with milk or other liquid have been charged an additional NT$15. Topping off drinks without ice was previously free, and disgruntled customers posted photos on social media showing that iced drinks ordered without ice were only half full if the extra NT$15 was not paid. The posts drew tens of thousands
EXPLANATION: Tsai said he attended events featuring various interviewees to observe them firsthand as part of his interview research Television host Kevin Tsai (蔡康永) last night broke his silence over a controversy surrounding his appearance at a campaign event for Democratic Progressive Party Taipei mayoral candidate Puma Shen (沈伯洋), saying he had never supported Taiwan independence. “I have always hoped for friendly cross-strait relations. I have never supported Taiwan independence,” Tsai wrote in a post on the Chinese social media platform Sina Weibo. Tsai, who has hosted television shows in China, attended the opening of Shen’s campaign headquarters on Oct. 4, drawing criticism from Chinese social media users and prompting some Chinese companies to distance themselves from him. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office
Major department stores across Taiwan, including Taipei 101, Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, Far Eastern SOGO, Breeze and Honhui Plaza, are closed today due to Typhoon Champi, while major supermarkets remain open. Taipei 101 said its shopping mall, observatory and restaurants on higher floors are closed for the day, with future hours to be adjusted based on the storm's status. Shin Kong Mitsukoshi has closed all 16 of its branches nationwide, as well as its Taipei Railway Station mall and SKM Park Outlets in Kaohsiung. Far Eastern SOGO said it has closed all of its branches nationwide, including Garden City in Taipei, citing the safety
DOUBLE-CHECK: Mandarin Airlines said that it would adjust its schedule according to weather conditions, while high-speed rail services are to remain undisrupted Airlines, ferry services, railways and national parks announced cancelations and closures yesterday, as Typhoon Champi bore down on Taiwan. The Central Weather Administration yesterday issued land warnings for most of Taiwan proper, as Champi is forecast to come closest to the nation today. Taiwan Railway Corp (TRC) has canceled all express trains on its western and eastern trunk lines today, while the high-speed rail system would continue to operate normally. For non-reserved TRC services, trains on the Coast Line, Chengzhui Line, Yilan Line and North Link Line are fully suspended. Services between Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as other unsuspended routes, would operate
RSS