PINGTUNG (TVBS News) — Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua on Tuesday (Sept. 26) refuted accusations that the central and local governments were passing the buck for the Pingtung factory blaze.
Wang stressed that Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Chuan-neng traveled south on Tuesday to "work with the Pingtung County Government regarding the incident's investigation and operation mechanism review."
The economic minister emphasized the decision to shut down all golf ball maker Launch Technologies' factory sites a day earlier was due to the company's failure to report and inform authorities about the storage of hazardous materials 30 times beyond the legal limit.
She explained that the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) and the local county government will consider establishing a joint checking platform to oversee and better manage the Pingtung Technology Industrial Park.
Following the fatal factory explosions on Sept. 22 that killed nine people and injured hundreds, the Taiwanese company responsible for the incident was ordered by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) to shut down all its factories for thorough inspections.
Premier Chen Chien-jen supported this decision and emphasized the close collaboration between the central and local governments.
The company is uncertain about when it will be able to resume work, but expressed concerns that the complete shutdown would have a negative impact on its revenue.