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.
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