Presidential Office spokesperson Charles Chen (陳以信) yesterday rejected reports that the office instructed the Executive Yuan to find other places for celebrations of the Muslim feast Eid al-Fitr, after the lobby of Taipei Railway Station was packed with Muslim celebrants on Sunday.
Chen’s comments were in response to reports by media outlets, including the Chinese-language United Daily News, critical of the order the office supposedly gave the Executive Yuan on Tuesday. Chen yesterday said the Presidential Office had “no intent to prevent the event from being held in the station’s lobby.”
“It has been our policy to respect the cultural diversity of various communities and we hope that considerations can also be made for public safety,” he said.
Chen said the recent dust explosion at the Formosa Fun Coast (八仙海岸) water park in New Taipei City on June 27 has highlighted the importance of managing public safety at events that large numbers of people attend.
Thousands of Indonesians gathered at the station on Sunday to celebrate Eid al-Fitr, also known as the Feast of Breaking the Fast, which marked the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.
Sunday’s event was among the subjects discussed on Tuesday at a regular platform meeting between officials from the Presidential Office, the Executive Yuan and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) to exchange views about current affairs, as the turnout of about 60,000 caught the attention of the public, Chen said.
Chen said the office reminded the Executive Yuan of factors to be taken into account in providing a pubic venue for a mass gathering, including its capacity, whether equipment and supplies for public safety are ready for the event and whether there would be a better locale for the event.
“What we are concerned about is public safety at mass gatherings, not the venue for the event,” Chen said.
There should be necessary measures in place to ensure safety regardless of whether the event is to be held in the station’s lobby and the principle should apply to other types of festivals involving large numbers of people, Chen said.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
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