The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) candidate in a legislative by-election in Taichung’s second electoral district should clarify allegations related to his properties instead of evading the issue, said former legislator, Lin Ching-yi (林靜儀), the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) contender in the vote.
Former legislator Yen Kuan-heng (顏寬恒) of the KMT, who represented the district from 2013 to last year, has come under increasing pressure to dismantle a house his family owns in Nantun District (南屯) after the Taichung City Government found that it was illegally constructed on land intended to be used for public facilities, giving the family until Monday to tear it down.
Local media reported that no work had been done on the property since the order was issued, except for workers drilling six holes into a perimeter.
Photo: Liao Yao-tung, Taipei Times
The main building structures remain untouched, the reports quoted local residents as saying.
DPP Taichung City Councilor Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) said that the Yen family is trying to slow down the process and accused the city government of shielding Yen by not enforcing its own order.
Chen and other city councilors had provided documents showing that the Yen family was constructing a luxury private club on the 2,000m2 plot, which the city planned to use for a playground.
The family’s political clout enabled it to change the public use designation and build the club to entertain friends and business associates, Chen said.
“If the Taichung Urban Development Bureau does not enforce the order, it means that Taichung residents can from now on take over public land and erect illegal structure for their own use,” Chen said.
Lin said the building should be torn down, adding that the media would scrutinize the progress.
Yen said that his family is dismantling the structure, but has to conform to legal procedures and the construction firm’s schedule.
“Media outlets are welcome to go there to check it out,” Yen said.
Meanwhile, Chen and other city councilors said that the plot in Nantun is only one of many questionable property dealings linked to Yen and his father, who represented the district in the legislature before him.
The councilors said that the Yens had allegedly bought large numbers of plots in the city, using suspicious methods to finance the deals, such as through large loans from state-own banks that have not been paid back.
Upon his re-election to the Legislative Yuan in 2016, Yen declared 80 properties, mainly in Taichung, NT$222 million (US$7.98 million) in bank deposits, business assets of NT$48 million and four luxury vehicles.
In the past few weeks, media reported that Taichung councilors and borough wardens had filed complaints that the Yen family had allegedly set up firms to pressure government officials and acquire a dock in the Port of Taichung.
The family was allegedly also involved in large real-estate deals near Taichung International Airport.
Lin said that Yen should publicly explain his role in these affairs or accept invitations to political talk shows.
Yen said: “I have been under attack by all sorts of media for over a month... They spread rumors about me, especially in political talk shows.”
Yen urged the public to write letters to the National Communications Commission and complain about the treatment of him and his family, saying that the shows had “escalated their attacks in recent days.”
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
HEAVY WEATHER: Typhoon Jangmi is due to crash straight into the Ryukyus as airlines look to shift flights to larger aircraft or cancel flights to Okinawa entirely Taiwan’s international air carriers announced flight adjustments over the weekend as Typhoon Jangmi is forecast to hit the Ryukyu Islands today and tomorrow. The Central Weather Administration (CWA) upgraded Jangmi from a tropical storm to a typhoon at 8am yesterday, with the eye located 580km south of Naha city. It was moving north at 19kph. Today, China Airlines’ CI-120, CI-121, CI-122 and CI-123 flights between Taoyuan and Naha, Okinawa, have been canceled as well as CI-132 and CI-133 between Kaohsiung and Naha. EVA Air’s BR-112, BR-113, BR-186 and BR-185 flights between Taoyuan and Naha are also canceled. Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan canceled IT-230,
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
RSS