Minister of the Interior Chang Pao-ya (
At the same time, however, many lawmakers spoke out against Chang, saying that she must shoulder the blame and explain why the government had bungled the rescue of the four workers killed in a flash flood on Saturday.
Chang declined to make a statement, but opposition party lawmakers questioned why she and the deputy minister had not resigned over the affair, rather than allowing two subordinates -- Director-General of the National Fire Administration Chen Hung-yi (
Chang returned from Hawaii on Monday night after concluding an unofficial visit and her deputy, Lee Yi-yang (
Chang avoided lawmaker's questions but was clearly angry later when facing reporters.
She pointed out that the public should find out why senior Chiayi officials did not appear during the rescue.
"During those two hours, where were commissioner Li Ya-chiao (
"They are on the front line in the government's rescue system and they should take charge of rescue situations at that front line," Chang said.
She said that local administration officials in Chiayi County had not accepted any responsibility themselves but simply sought to shift the blame to the central government instead.
She questioned why the rescue teams did not carry enough equipment, such as dinghies and life-preservers.
The Chiayi County Government, in the meantime, announced that it had punished seven local fire department officials with demerits or reprimands over the incident.
"The chief of the fire department, Hsieh Hsin-yung, did not report this incident to me in a timely manner and also failed to contact other rescue services," said Li.
A major demerit was recorded against the fire chief and also against his deputy, Chiang Kuo-chun (
Chang also asked the local administration to find out why the river had suddenly flooded and why the workers were not made aware of the possibility that the river might rise.
The minister also wanted to know why the workers were not carrying any safety equipment, considering that they were working in a flood plain.
Chiayi prosecutor Yeh Keng-hsu
Yeh has asked the rescue team to provide the phone log from the day in question, to verify the time that the first call was made.
"We have received information from anonymous sources that the police department received the emergency call before 5:00pm, but fire department officials say that the message wasn't relayed to them by police until after 5:30pm," Yeh said.
"We will find out who is lying," he said.
THREATS: Naval facilities have been built in Shanghai and Zhejiang, while airbases have been expanded in Xiamen, Fuzhou and Zhangpu, across the Strait from Taiwan The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is building large-scale military infrastructure at five sites along the eastern coast of China, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in a recent report. The latest issue of the council’s Mainland China Situation Quarterly said satellite photos showed military infrastructure such as air force and naval bases being constructed along the eastern coast of China. That means the CCP might be preparing for potential conflict in Taiwan, it said, adding that there are five such construction sites from north to south. A naval base has been built in Shanghai’s Pudong New Area, with underground oil storage tanks, railway
MILESTONE: The foreign minister called the signing ‘a major step forward in US-Taiwan relations,’ while the Presidential Office said it was a symbol of the nations’ shared values US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed into law the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the state department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct a review “not less than every five years.” It must then submit an updated report based on its findings “not later
A trial run of the north concourse of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s new Terminal 3 is to commence today, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The eight additional boarding gates would allow for more aircraft parking spaces that are expected to boost the airport’s capacity by 5.8 million passengers annually, Deputy Minister of Transportation and Communications Lin Kuo-shian (林國顯) said. The concourse, designed by a team led by British architect Richard Rogers, provides a refreshing space, Lin said, adding that travelers would enjoy the tall and transparent design that allows sunshine to stream into the concourse through glass curtain walls. The
The Presidential Office today thanked the US for enacting the Taiwan Assurance Implementation Act, which requires the US Department of State to regularly review and update guidelines governing official US interactions with Taiwan. The new law, signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday, is an amendment to the Taiwan Assurance Act of 2020 focused on reviewing guidelines on US interactions with Taiwan. Previously, the department was required to conduct a one-time review of its guidance governing relations with Taiwan, but under the new bill, the agency must conduct such a review "not less than every five years." It must then submit an updated
RSS