A meeting on Monday to discuss reconstruction efforts in Hualien County’s flood-hit Guangfu Township (光復) descended into chaos after being interrupted by the county council speaker, who protested not being invited.
The meeting, held at the Dahua Activity Center in Guangfu, was organized by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators Fu Kun-chi (傅?萁) and Sra Kacaw.
It was attended by Hualien County Government and township officials, as well as several county councilors. The session was intended to focus on a special reconstruction bill under legislative review.
Photo courtesy of a member of the public
While some residents were allowed into the hall, many others gathered outside, saying they had not been notified and demanding either to join the discussion or have it moved outdoors.
As the event got underway, tensions escalated after independent Hualien County Council Speaker Chang Chun (張峻) burst into the hall and kicked the table where Fu was sitting, demanding to know why he had not been invited.
“You think you can walk all over the residents of Guangfu?” Chang shouted several times.
Initially calm, Fu stood up and replied: “The legislature is here. Who is bullying Guangfu residents? We are here having a meeting.”
However, moments later, he lost his temper and yelled at police officers: “Mobster, criminal in the act, arrest him, arrest him.”
He also threatened to sue Chang for what he called “violent behavior.”
After the interruption, the crowd outside began knocking on the windows and chanting their demands for the officials to come out, saying: “We are disaster victims, we want to be heard.”
Later, Chang entered the hall a second time and sat down directly across from Fu.
After gaining Fu’s permission to speak, Chang said he wanted to question why multiple county government officials had been invited but not him, a Guangfu resident and a “victim” of the disaster himself.
Before leaving, Chang told the crowd outside that he would demand that the county government add reconstruction funds to its annual budget before it is reviewed by the county council.
Hualien County Commissioner Hsu Chen-wen (徐榛蔚), Fu’s wife and a fellow KMT member, heads the county government, while Chang leads a faction of independents who make up a plurality in the county council.
Yesterday, Fu appeared at the Hualien County Prosecutors’ Office to file a criminal complaint against Chang for intimidation and causing bodily harm.
Chang told the Central News Agency he plans to countersue Fu for defamation.
On Sept. 23, heavy rain from Typhoon Ragasa caused the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) barrier lake to overflow, sending torrents of water and mud through Guangfu.
The flash flood killed 19 people and inundated homes and businesses with debris.
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