The Taipei Dome could collapse if construction were immediately halted, which could affect the operation of the Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) System’s Bannan Line, or Line 5, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said yesterday.
“As long as the base structure of the [Dome’s] site is unfinished, there is a risk of it collapsing,” Ko said.
Ko acknowledged concerns that the Dome’s construction might have caused damage to a historical site — the former Songshan Tobacco Factory — but said that its potential effect on the MRT line, which runs out to Taipei’s Nangang District (南港), if construction is stopped is “even more worrisome.”
Photo: CNA
Ko made the comments as questions were raised over the city’s response to the latest revelations of damage to the tobacco factory site.
He said the damage was discovered after an earthquake on Monday.
Taipei Department of Rapid Transportation Systems Commissioner Chou Li-liang (周禮良) said that as the basement of the Dome is being constructed from the top down, the structure cannot be stabilized until the lowest level of the basement is completed.
Given the Dome’s size, it would inevitably affect the MRT’s Bannan Line, which runs along the construction site’s southern border, should it collapse, he said.
However, the risk of a collapse is minimal according to the department’s previous analysis, with current site readings within the acceptable range, he said.
Taipei Department of Cultural Affairs Executive Secretary Liu De-chien (劉得堅) said that 14 new cracks were found at the tobacco factory site after Monday’s earthquake.
Last month, the city government said it was fining contractor Farglory Land Development Co (遠雄建設) following the discovery of subsidence at the former Songshan Tobacco Factory, causing cracks and tilting in the complex’s smokestack.
The department yesterday presented its report on previous damage at the site to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office.
Although the city government has already announced the penalties, they still need to be approved by judicial authorities before they can be levied, Liu said.
Meanwhile, in response to a Farglory news conference yesterday rejecting the results of a city committee report on the Dome’s safety, Taipei Deputy Mayor Teng Chia-chi (鄧家基) said that the simulations run by the committee could stand the test of public scrutiny, with all relevant information uploaded online.
He reiterated the city’s position that the site would not be allowed to operate without guarantees over public safety.
Farglory is welcome to send representatives to the city government for discussions, or to present alternative plans for improving safety at the site, he said.
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College