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.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS