Looking up at his shattered fifth floor apartment, Chen Han-chin (
"When we moved here it was the biggest, fanciest apartment building in town," the retired father of two said, standing amid fallen pink marble facades and cracked plaster Grecian statuary.
The glamor days of the building are gone, turned to dust by the 921 earthquake.
PHOTO: AP
Residents of the complex, called the Chenchiang (
Such accusations are rife as residents and prosecutors embark on the daunting task of seeking to hold builders responsible for shoddy work exposed by the quake. Almost daily, residents march in the streets in the hardest-hit cities in central Taiwan, demanding justice and compensation.
So far, slightly more than 200 builders, architects and consulting engineers are being investigated for alleged improprieties that could have led to building damage and collapses.
Among those on the government's list is Liao Ming-yu, the chief of the construction company that built the Chenchiang Palace. The builder has been barred from leaving Taiwan.
Many of the apartment complex's 197 households have sued Liao for violating safety standards, and he has fired back with a lawsuit accusing the residents of defamation.
Liao's construction company, has refused to help residents move and resettle, concessions made to quake victims by at least two other firms.
The builder did not respond to a request for an interview made at his new company, Yikuang Construction.
His employees, who would not give their names, described their boss as a self-made businessman in his 40s from nearby Taichung. In addition to heading his original firm and Yikuang, Liao owns shares in at least two other construction companies, they said.
Cutting corners is common on Taiwanese construction sites, where building codes are not rigorously enforced, said Liu Mei-hua (
Falling profit margins caused by a slumping real estate market put pressure on companies to cut costs, especially smaller firms with fewer resources, said Liu, who has worked in the field for 19 years.
Builders also frequently open new companies to avoid taxes, and to keep one step ahead of home buyers who might lodge complaints years after they purchase their homes, Liu said.
Picking through the rubble in the Chenchiang Palace's courtyard, former resident Wang Chyi-shiang (
Reinforced iron bars weren't bundled properly or embedded in concrete, says Wang, a plant manager for a local beverage company.
Supporting outer walls were smashed through to enclose balconies as part of the inner space, further weakening the structure, he says. Balconies were enclosed to form additional rooms.
Inspectors have yet to confirm the violations, although Wang said US and Japanese engineers have already told residents that there were clear breaches of building codes.
For many residents who are strapped with 20-year mortgages on homes that are now piles of rubble, even petty violations must be unearthed to support a case for compensation.
"I can't even contemplate my future," said Wang, who is now renting an apartment. "I just know I have to keep working to pay back my debts, provide us somewhere to live and keep the kids in school."
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
TRADE: A mandatory declaration of origin for manufactured goods bound for the US is to take effect on May 7 to block China from exploiting Taiwan’s trade channels All products manufactured in Taiwan and exported to the US must include a signed declaration of origin starting on May 7, the Bureau of Foreign Trade announced yesterday. US President Donald Trump on April 2 imposed a 32 percent tariff on imports from Taiwan, but one week later announced a 90-day pause on its implementation. However, a universal 10 percent tariff was immediately applied to most imports from around the world. On April 12, the Trump administration further exempted computers, smartphones and semiconductors from the new tariffs. In response, President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration has introduced a series of countermeasures to support affected
CROSS-STRAIT: The vast majority of Taiwanese support maintaining the ‘status quo,’ while concern is rising about Beijing’s influence operations More than eight out of 10 Taiwanese reject Beijing’s “one country, two systems” framework for cross-strait relations, according to a survey released by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday. The MAC’s latest quarterly survey found that 84.4 percent of respondents opposed Beijing’s “one country, two systems” formula for handling cross-strait relations — a figure consistent with past polling. Over the past three years, opposition to the framework has remained high, ranging from a low of 83.6 percent in April 2023 to a peak of 89.6 percent in April last year. In the most recent poll, 82.5 percent also rejected China’s
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
RSS