Representatives of Taiwanese companies subcontracted to build a new office compound for the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) yesterday staged another protest at the construction site in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖), renewing their demands for payment of outstanding debts owed to them by the project’s US contractor.
The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests staged by three Taiwanese firms — Wei Chuan Arch Contracting Co, Cherng-Her Construction Co and Area Energy — after months of negotiations with the primary contractor, US-based Weston Solutions, over the payment problem broke down earlier this year.
The companies have called for intervention from the AIT on several occasions, including in a similar protest they staged on April 8, but the latter has insisted on taking a hands-off position in the dispute.
Photo: CNA
While chanting slogans, such as “Pay back the money owed” and “Face up to it AIT,” the protesters said Weston owed them approximately NT$473.83 million (US$15.858 million), a figure that would be higher if interest on the outstanding amount was also included.
“The project is built on US soil and we signed the subcontract with a US contractor. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other relevant government agencies have expressed concerns about the matter, but none of them are able to intervene and help settle the dispute,” Wei Chuan Arch representative Tu Chung-jen (涂崇仁) said.
Tu said the protest would continue until Friday and they would block off the construction site in the meantime, adding that should the AIT fail to positively respond to their demands by then, they would step up their efforts by launching a long-term demonstration next month.
Area Energy representative Chuang Kuo-chang (莊國昌) said President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) instructed the Executive Yuan’s Public Construction Commission to look into the issue after they wrote a letter to Ma requesting his assistance.
“Although Weston had agreed to pay off the debts in installments of US$100,000 per week, it only made the payment for six consecutive weeks,” Chuang said.
In response, acting AIT spokesman Ryan Roberts said the AIT encouraged the parties concerned to resolve the dispute in accordance with their contracts, adding that the institute had received letters from the Taiwanese companies and was aware of their demands.
However, he declined to comment on whether the construction project would be postponed as a result of the payment dispute.
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
SOVEREIGNTY: The rigs show that Beijing ‘rejects Taiwan’s jurisdiction’ by building in areas where Taipei demands permission to build or alter installations Chinese oil rigs have been sighted just 26 nautical miles (42km), from Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Pratas Island (Dongsha Island, 東沙島), posing a threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty if left unchallenged, a brief published by the Jamestown Foundation on Tuesday said. Pratas Island, 444km from Kaohsiung, is northeast of the South China Sea and houses a Taiwanese garrison. The brief, titled “Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island” — referring to the People’s Republic of China — analyzed photographs and said that Beijing’s tools to pressure Taiwan now include oil rigs. “Oil rigs now constitute part of Beijing’s
The Taiwan Experience Education Program (TEEP) has funded short-term internships in Taiwan for more than 4,500 young people from more than 40 countries since 2015, with the goal of attracting and retaining international talent, the Ministry of Education said yesterday. Fifty-five colleges launched 514 projects this year, including in fields such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, medicine and biotechnology, green energy, and sustainability, it said. The program provides research and practical internships in Taiwan for two to six months, and offers cultural exchange and networking opportunities, the ministry said. For example, National Formosa University’s Embedded System and Autopilot Laboratory developed two solar-powered drones in
RSS