The Taiwan Railways Administration’s (TRA) internal review of Sunday’s the deadly train derailment is “full of lies,” the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative caucus said yesterday, demanding that Minister of Transportation and Communications Wu Hung-mo (吳宏謀) step down.
TRA Director-General Jason Lu (鹿潔身) has lied about the extent of the most recent scheduled maintenance of the derailed train, while the agency’s account of the train’s functioning was also at odds with leaked communication records between the driver, surnamed Yu (尤), and the TRA’s dispatch and distribution office, KMT caucus whip Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) told a news conference at the Legislative Yuan in Taipei.
The discrepancies between the accounts given by the Executive Yuan’s investigative task force for the accident and by the TRA represent a “slap in Wu’s face,” and the minister, who tendered his resignation to Premier William Lai (賴清德) on Sunday, should not have accepted Lai’s request that he stay in his post, Chiang said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The agency’s remarks — including that Yu did not inform dispatch that he had shut down the automatic train protection system (ATP) — implied that the accident was caused solely by human error, which would impose considerable mental stress on TRA’s entry-level employees, he said.
The Taiwan Railways Labor Union, citing leaked communication records, on Wednesday showed not only that You informed dispatch about disabling the ATP, but also that the office copied that information.
Puyuma Express trains are imported from Japan, but the 15-member task force includes no Japanese or international experts, Chiang said, adding that this, compounded by the task force being led by Minister Without Portfolio Wu Tze-cheng (吳澤成), raises questions about the impartiality and factuality of any investigative report.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general John Wu (吳志揚) said that the absence of legal experts or prosecutors on the task force suggests that the government believes “technical” problems might have caused the accident.
However, the implications of the incident could be much more profound, as corruption and political decisions might have contributed to the tragedy, he said.
The accident also highlighted problems with the TRA’s management, as the dispatchers allegedly instructed You to continue driving in an attempt to remain on schedule, even though the train’s mechanical problem signs were triggered 43 minutes before the accident occurred, he said.
Citing media reports, KMT caucus secretary-general William Tseng (曾銘宗) said that You was in February arrested for using amphetamine and had been driving for the TRA under a deferred prosecution agreement.
He criticized the TRA as irresponsible for hiring a driver who had used amphetamine, which he said might have led to the accident.
Meanwhile, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Kolas Yotaka said that You was arrested for amphetamine use in December last year and was given a deferred prosecution verdict in February.
Urine and hair analyses showed that Yu had not used illegal drugs in the two months prior to the incident, she said.
Yu gave authorities hair and urine samples after the derailment, with an analysis to be released soon, she said.
‘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 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS