People living near the Taipei Arena have complained about “tremors” after an A-mei (阿妹) concert reportedly disrupted life in surrounding neighborhoods, which had also been an issue for the pop diva seven years ago when she was barred from performing at the venue.
The “Queen of Pop,” whose real name is Chang Hui-mei (張惠妹), has sold out 12 shows at the venue in Songshan District (松山), with the last scheduled for Saturday.
However, Zhonghua Borough (中華) Warden Yu Chih-hsing (游吉興) said in a statement on Monday that the concerts are once again disrupting life for residents in the area.
Photo courtesy of Mei Entertainment
Detractors have flooded the borough office’s Google Maps listing with one-star reviews, saying that Yu is pandering to A-mei fans while ignoring more pertinent issues, including complaints about tremors, apparently caused by fans jumping to the music.
Yu called for a “rational discussion.”
“The borough has long discussed the issue of tremors caused by concerts,” he said. “Never has it been about a particular singer or company, only that they happen, how to prevent them and fighting for our rights.”
Multiple city counselors forwarded the statement, which was accompanied by video footage of rattling in a home during a concert.
“Those who have never experienced it have no way of understanding what it is like feeling on edge for nearly 20 minutes straight every time there is an artificial tremor,” Yu said in the statement.
Even Taipei Deputy Mayor Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) felt one when she visited a home in the area, Yu said, adding that some residents went out late at night to avoid the shaking.
Although the Taipei City Government has said that nothing can be done to fix the problem, Yu vowed to keep communicating with event organizers to find a solution.
The protests have not been in vain, as organizers have been working to get concertgoers to refrain from jumping, with notices displayed in the arena, Yu said.
He also thanked A-mei, the city government and concert organizers for their assistance and sincerity in responding to the issue.
However, continued efforts are required, he said.
Regarding the critical response online, Yu said he “humbly accepts and would review any shortcomings,” but added that he would not comment further on the matter, although he reserved the right to respond to any personal insults or threats.
Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on Monday said that the Taipei Arena was built on land that has a high risk of soil liquefaction.
The relatively high water level in the area helps transmit vibrations, Ko said.
Boards were laid to absorb vibrations, which were effective for the first two hours of the concerts, he said.
However, when fans started jumping in the final 15 minutes of the show, there was a problem, he said.
Additional reporting by Tsai Ssu-pei
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
Prosecutors in New Taipei City yesterday indicted 31 individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for allegedly forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns targeting three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The indictments stem from investigations launched earlier this year after DPP lawmakers Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) filed criminal complaints accusing campaign organizers of submitting false signatures in recall petitions against them. According to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, a total of 2,566 forged recall proposal forms in the initial proposer petition were found during the probe. Among those
ECHOVIRUS 11: The rate of enterovirus infections in northern Taiwan increased last week, with a four-year-old girl developing acute flaccid paralysis, the CDC said Two imported cases of chikungunya fever were reported last week, raising the total this year to 13 cases — the most for the same period in 18 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The two cases were a Taiwanese and a foreign national who both arrived from Indonesia, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The 13 cases reported this year are the most for the same period since chikungunya was added to the list of notifiable communicable diseases in October 2007, she said, adding that all the cases this year were imported, including 11 from
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires