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.
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