After Changhua County on Wednesday bulldozed the so-called “Chinese communism shrine,” Changhua County Commissioner Wei Ming-ku (魏明谷) yesterday said that shrine owner Wei Ming-jen (魏明仁) would have to foot the bill.
The commissioner’s comments came after celebrity Youtuber “Angela Chang” accused the government of letting Wei Ming-jen shrug off the cost of demolishing the temple’s illegal structures, which she estimated at NT$5 million (US$163,661).
Although Wei Ming-jen is embroiled in several lawsuits, the government has yet to freeze his assets or look into the sources of his funding, so the public would likely be stuck with the demolition costs, Chang said.
The Democratic Progressive Party administration should not condone Beijing supporters who threaten the public with talk of drowning Taiwan in blood with Chinese arms, she said.
Wei Ming-ku said that the Administrative Enforcement Agency should have no trouble reclaiming the expense, as the temple was built on property that belonged to people with whom he had financial ties.
The owner of an illegal building is by law responsible for paying for its demolition and the county intends to make Wei Ming-jen pay the full sum, Wei Ming-ku said.
Should Wei Ming-jen liquidate his assets or escape the jurisdiction before he pays, the county would sell the land, which is easily worth more than NT$5 million, the commissioner said.
Tearing down the illegal shrine was a matter of “defending national security and the dignity of the Taiwanese people,” he said, adding that the county aims to finish the job in a week.
The county estimates the cost of the demolition at NT$5.8 million, including NT$300,000 in police costs, but the figure is subject to revision, county Deputy Commissioner Lin Ming-yu (林明裕) said.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
Japanese Councilor Hei Seki (石平) on Wednesday said that he plans to visit Taiwan, saying that would “prove that Taiwan is an independent country and does not belong to China.” Seki, a member of the Japan Innovation Party, was born in Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province and became a naturalized Japanese in 2007. He was elected to the House of Concilors last year. His views on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) — espoused in a series of books on politics and history — prompted Beijing to sanction him, including barring Seki from traveling to China. Seki wrote on X that he intends
RSS