The Taipei City Government has asked Farglory Group (遠雄集團) to repair serious water leaks in the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said yesterday, following complaints that many areas at the stadium were leaking during two baseball games over the weekend.
The dome on Saturday and Sunday hosted two games in tribute to CTBC Brothers’ star Chou Szu-chi (周思齊) ahead of his retirement from the CPBL.
The games each attracted about 40,000 people, filling the stadium to capacity.
Photo: Screen grab from Lin Hung-ku’s Facebook page
However, amid heavy rain, many people reported water leaking on some seats, at the entrance and exit areas, and the parking lot.
The Taipei Dome constructor and operator Farglory Group on Sunday evening said it deeply apologizes to those affected by the leaks.
About 200 people were affected in each of the two games, and the event organizer immediately helped them change seats, the company said.
Farglory Group said it is conducting maintenance work on the roof panels and drainage systems, and before the repairs are completed, it would not sell tickets for seats that are likely to be affected by leaks.
Asked about the leaks, Chiang said he has asked the Taipei Department of Sports to strongly demand Farglory Group to immediately repair the leaks.
The city has also asked the company to submit a tiered improvement plan with dates and would require it to file weekly progress reports, he said, adding that the reports would be included in the evaluation of its operation performance.
Farglory has been asked to finish repairing the serious water leaks affecting large areas at the Taipei Dome before Friday next week, he said.
The Taipei City Government on Friday announced that Taiwanese pop diva Jody Chiang (江蕙) would perform at the city’s Double Ten National Day celebration at the Taipei Dome on Saturday next week.
Regarding minor water leaks at the venue, Chiang Wan-an said Farglory must fulfill its previous promise of finishing the repairs by the end of next month.
Democratic Progressive Party Taipei City Councilor Hsu Shu-hua (許淑華) yesterday wrote on Facebook that Farglory “shamelessly” boasted that only about 400 people were affected, but the Taipei Dome has been plagued by water leaks since it opened last year, and the sports department’s “order for improvement with a deadline” is only a slap on the wrist to the company.
The city government should establish an evaluation system for supervising Farglory under its contract, and legally end the contract if it continues to fail in its operation performance, Hsu said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central