Wardens of boroughs near the legislature in Taipei’s Zhongzheng District (中正) are calling on Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) to address disturbances to local residents from ongoing protests.
The city should relocate the legislature or financially compensate residents if moving the offices is impossible, the wardens said.
Legislative Yuan Secretary-General Lin Chih-chia (林志嘉) suggested first collecting ideas from all those affected, but added that financial compensation would be difficult and “seem strange.”
Xingfu Borough (幸福) Warden Su Hung-jen (蘇宏仁), who has served the borough for 11 terms over 44 years, said he has seen the number of protests at the legislature grow over the past few years.
While residents respect the right of others to protest, they have seen their quality of life decline as protests grow longer and bigger, requiring a larger area to be blocked off, Su said.
“Every time an area is cordoned off, the phone rings off the hook,” Su said, adding that residents often find themselves unable to get in and out of their homes.
Others find themselves faced with the unexpected cost of taking taxis when they are unable to get their cars out of parkings due to barriers, he said.
Dongmen Borough (東門) Warden Lee Shih-tsung (李世宗) also complained of traffic disruptions and noise disturbance from protests, as well as residents’ fear that thieves will take advantage of the chaos during protests.
“The legislature has come to be the same as a funeral parlor or garbage incinerator: Nobody wants to live near it,” Lee said.
Taipei Department of Civil Affairs Director Lan Shih-tsung (藍世聰) said he would raise the issue with the legislature after the next Ministry of the Interior meeting.
Democratic Progressive Party caucus secretary-general Ho Hsin-chun (何欣純) echoed Lin’s sentiment that providing compensation for residents would be difficult, given that there is no legal precedent for such an arrangement.
Ho apologized to residents and store owners for the disturbances and suggested a meeting to discuss more “technical” ways of solving the issue.
Relocation has already been discussed for a long time, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lee Yen-hsiu (李彥秀) said, adding that there must be a consensus between the central and local governments before relocation would be possible.
There is no historical example of compensation being provided, Lee said, adding that Lin and Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) should meet to discuss options to reduce the toll of protests on residents.
New Power Party caucus convener Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明) said that protests clearly affect local businesses and residents, so the government should arrange compensation for those affected as the budget allows.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and
RSS