Families of those affected by the inferno at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙樂園) water park yesterday said justice had not been served after the Shilin District Prosecutors’ Office indicted only event organizer Lu Chung-chi (呂忠吉).
Lin Wei (林緯), a member of a self-help association established following the June 27 disaster, said he had hoped the government would make public a complete investigation into the incident, as well as provide a fair judicial proceeding.
However, he was “very disappointed” that only one person was charged, Lin said.
Photo: Taipei Times
Lin’s younger sister, Lin Yi (林誼), sustained third-degree burns over parts of her body and is still recuperating in hospital, he said.
He asked why prosecutors did not raise aspects regarding fire safety inspections and public security with the New Taipei City government, as the park is in the municipality’s Bali District (八里).
Lin said government-backed events with large crowds that are contracted out to private companies, such as the New Year’s Eve fireworks displays at Taipei 101, should be the responsibility of the elected authorities.
“If there were deaths or injuries at such an event, would a city government be allowed to wash its hands of responsibility?” he asked.
Chu Pang-yu (朱邦宇), whose daughter sustained burns to 78 percent of her body and is still receiving medical treatment, accused President Ma Yin-jeou (馬英九) of making empty promises.
“When Ma went to hospitals to visit the burns patients and meet with families, he assured us that he would bear the responsibility. What has become of his assurances?” Chu said.
“We have a rotten justice system,” he said. “I could not believe the indictment. Why were executives of Formosa Fun Coast cleared of responsibility?”
Chu said the disaster had killed many people, but defendants were released without high bails, while hospitals, and health and welfare agencies spent huge amounts of money on medical costs.
“Prosecutors only charged Lu, who has little in the way of assets to his name,” Chu said.
“It is not possible for Lu to pay the medical expenses. So the government will be saddled with the debt. Even if Lu is to serve time in jail, the government has to pay money for his incarceration,” he added.
“Is this fair on the public?” Chu asked.
Chang Kuo-sung (張國頌), an expert in safety and evacuation training for public events, said the firefighting and safety equipment at the park did not match regulated standards, while the emergency response and evacuation plans were totally inadequate.
He said the park management and local government were negligent.
“[Local] government agencies made inspections and held a drill at Formosa Fun Coast, but it was only for a small event, not for a large-scale event,” Chang said. “The whole process looked like play acting, with all the answers already provided.”
“Government inspectors did not check how park management would respond in emergency situations,” he said.
BACK IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD: The planned transit by the ‘Baden-Wuerttemberg’ and the ‘Frankfurt am Main’ would be the German Navy’s first passage since 2002 Two German warships are set to pass through the Taiwan Strait in the middle of this month, becoming the first German naval vessels to do so in 22 years, Der Spiegel reported on Saturday. Reuters last month reported that the warships, the frigate Baden-Wuerttemberg and the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main, were awaiting orders from Berlin to sail the Strait, prompting a rebuke to Germany from Beijing. Der Spiegel cited unspecified sources as saying Beijing would not be formally notified of the German ships’ passage to emphasize that Berlin views the trip as normal. The German Federal Ministry of Defense declined to comment. While
‘UPHOLDING PEACE’: Taiwan’s foreign minister thanked the US Congress for using a ‘creative and effective way’ to deter Chinese military aggression toward the nation The US House of Representatives on Monday passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, aimed at deterring Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by threatening to publish information about Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials’ “illicit” financial assets if Beijing were to attack. The act would also “restrict financial services for certain immediate family of such officials,” the text of the legislation says. The bill was introduced in January last year by US representatives French Hill and Brad Sherman. After remarks from several members, it passed unanimously. “If China chooses to attack the free people of Taiwan, [the bill] requires the Treasury secretary to publish the illicit
A senior US military official yesterday warned his Chinese counterpart against Beijing’s “dangerous” moves in the South China Sea during the first talks of their kind between the commanders. Washington and Beijing remain at odds on issues from trade to the status of Taiwan and China’s increasingly assertive approach in disputed maritime regions, but they have sought to re-establish regular military-to-military talks in a bid to prevent flashpoint disputes from spinning out of control. Samuel Paparo, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, and Wu Yanan (吳亞男), head of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Southern Theater Command, talked via videoconference. Paparo “underscored the importance
The US House of Representatives yesterday unanimously passed the Taiwan Conflict Deterrence Act, which aims to disincentivize Chinese aggression toward Taiwan by cutting Chinese leaders and their family members off from the US financial system if Beijing acts against Taiwan. The bipartisan bill, which would also publish the assets of top Chinese leaders, was cosponsored by Republican US Representative French Hill, Democratic US Representative Brad Sherman and seven others. If the US president determines that a threat against Taiwan exists, the bill would require the US Department of the Treasury to report to Congress on funds held by certain members of the
RSS