Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) should not pass the buck if he cannot deliver the “love Ferris wheel” he promised during his mayoral campaign last year, Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday.
On Sunday, Han, the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, accused the ministry of making it difficult for the Kaohsiung City Government to secure property at the Port of Kaohsiung to develop the project.
“Han should really review the city’s plans to obtain and develop the property, and how to secure a permit for the development,” Lin said. “That would require coordination between officials of the central and city governments.”
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
“Han should not criticize and pass the buck if he is having difficulty fulfilling a campaign promise,” he said, adding: “We remain positive that the project could go ahead, if communications continue.”
Lin asked what measures would be implemented to make the project compatible with the port, given that it would be an entertainment facility on property belonging to the nation’s largest seaport.
Empty words without concrete steps to execute the project would not make things happen, he said.
“I suggest that Mayor Han take a look at the Mitsui Outlet Park in the Port of Taichung, which was made possible through the joint efforts of the central and local governments,” Lin said.
On Sunday, Taiwan International Ports Corp said that it had yet to be contacted by a firm looking to invest in the Ferris wheel project to discuss the use of Pier No. 21, also known as the Old Port Zone.
In other news involving the ministry, Lin said Far Eastern Air Transport (FAT) has ceased operations and that the situation would not change in the short term.
FAT on Thursday last week said in a surprise announcement that it had halted operations due to financial difficulties, but the next day, FAT chairman Chang Kang-wei (張綱維) said operations would restart, thanks to an injection of funds.
“We hope that FAT can take actions to remedy the situation,” Lin said yesterday. “The airline will be subject to close scrutiny when it applies to resume operations.”
“The airline not only has financial problems, but also has issues with corporate management,” he said. “It is telling that Mr Chang, who is also the airline’s president and chief financial officer, can simply turn off his mobile phone and the company’s operations go out of control.”
Chang, who could not be reached by the media or colleagues on Thursday after the announcement, reportedly because he had turned his phone off, said later that the decision to shut the company was made by colleagues, who misjudged the situation.
“It is difficult to say that what happened on Thursday last week will not happen again,” he said.
“This is a matter of aviation safety. The Civil Aeronautics Administration is to hear an explanation from the airline, and if it fails to convince the agency, we would move on to the next step of revoking its air operator’s certificate,” Lin said.
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
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
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
RSS