NEW TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwan Premier Chen Chien-jen urged former New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih and the city government on Tuesday (Dec. 26) to safeguard the residential rights of mining area residents, who he said are troubled by the city government's statements.
The call comes after Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou criticized former premiers Lai Ching-te and Su Tseng-chang for not resolving the residential rights issue following the abolition of mining rights
Despite repeated pleas from the New Taipei City government, Hou contends, they remained unresponsive until elections were imminent.
Addressing these criticisms, Chen assured that there is no negligence in responses to issues related to mining area rights. He further clarified that Lai's ancestral home was refurbished from an original workers' dormitory for public trust use.
In addition, he confirmed that correspondence between the New Taipei City Government and central related departments had been reciprocated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA), dispelling the claim that messages have been read but ignored or only responded to recently.
"I hope that Hou Yu-ih and the New Taipei City Government will actively protect the residential rights of all miners, as they claimed earlier, not causing our miner friends to worry", Premier Chen said, responding to concerns and anxieties voiced by mining area residents due to certain statements from the city government.