Mayor’s remarks:
1. Investigating ill-gotten party assets, and returning the money to the citizens
a. Last week, Wellington Koo, a lawyer and Chairman of the Executive Yuan’s Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, led a group that visited Tainan City Government in order to learn about the city’s current situation concerning the investigation of ill-gotten party assets. The city government’s position is based on offering administrative support, which is why we took the files of three cases that we both investigated and were in possession of and then handed them over to Chairman Koo for reference purposes. I also made sure to express to Chairman Koo that if the Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee had any needs when it comes to administrative support, we at the city government, while still following the law, will do everything we can to work with them in processing these cases.
b. After the Act Governing the Handling of Ill-gotten Properties by Political Parties and Their Affiliate Organizations took effect, Tainan City Government immediately carried out a comprehensive investigation effort of ill-gotten party assets within its jurisdiction. Currently, we have three different types of cases, including 36 cases that involve land and 15 cases that concern buildings, as well as 36 land cases and 53 building cases that are suspected to be tied to organizations associated with and/or under the control of the Kuomintang (KMT; commonly known as the Chinese Nationalist Party). According to publically announced calculations for the current value of these ill-gotten assets in 2016, it’s estimated that the overall figure exceeds NT$ 820 million. In order to prevent the rights of bona fide third parties from being violated, the city government has already set up internal control measures. We also have taken the initiative to inform consumers whether or not they have purchased goods that are suspected to be connected to ill-gotten party assets, as doing so will prevent possible complications from happening in the future.
c. Due to factors connected with the country’s history, it can be said that the new government’s investigation of ill-gotten party assets is an enormous undertaking. However, this effort is merely a basic requirement and preliminary task of transforming politics so that true justice is turned into a reality. As for the pain caused by the February 28 Incident (also known as the 228 Incident) and who should be held responsible for that tragedy, the causes and consequences of numerous cases tied to the White Terror Era, and the reality that different aboriginal tribes have suffered the fate of having their rights violated by the state apparatus, both the government and the entire society need to, step-by-step, understand, clarify, and then begin healing these wounds. We also expect, with the support of the people, that the situation of party assets will be able to consistently meet the standards of justice and that improper funds will be returned to the people. The above is being done so that Taiwan can take the first successful step of transforming itself into a country that upholds the principles of justice.
2. A city with a distinguished literary reputation: The glory goes to city residents
a. Boasting a long and storied history and being home to a diverse collection of culture and art, Tainan owns the claim of being Taiwan’s first city. In fact, Tainan relied on the support of its culture when it was elevated to be recognized as one of Taiwan’s special municipalities in 2010. Tainan City Government has made reading one of its important tasks in its mission to cultivate the city’s culture. In the last few years, the government’s hard work can be seen in the three new libraries we’ve built, and we’ve also allocated NT$ 120 million in funds in order to raise the quality of public libraries and improve the reading areas of city residents. The per capita budget for buying books has risen year-over-year to 4.27 times the amount of when Tainan City and Tainan County merged (which took place in 2010). 2015 figures for borrowed library books showed that more than 7.61 million books were borrowed, meaning that on average each person borrowed 4.04 books that year. This figure is much higher than the nation’s average of 2.95 books, ranking the second highest figure in the nation.
b. In order to adapt services so that they meet the increasingly diverse reading needs of city residents, the city government is currently planning to build a public library at the current site of Army Missile and Artillery School in Yongkang District that can hold up to a million books. In addition to offering lots of space as well as a variety of different services, the site will become the city’s new Tainan Municipal Library. The city government hopes that it can provide more comprehensive knowledge services to city residents, and we want to make sure that libraries will be able to pass down information to the next generation in a sustainable fashion. We also place a special emphasis on meeting the needs of niche readers, which includes giving reading gift bags to newborns, improving school libraries, and organizing the nation’s only Must-Read Books: The TV Reading Club and Children’s Literature Month. Overall, we’re seeking to improve the library collection and reading services for niche readers, such as teenagers, the elderly, foreign spouses, migrant workers, foreign language readers, and even employees of companies.
c. Last Saturday, I made a special trip to the north to receive the Outstanding Contributions to Libraries Award from Pan Wen-chung, the Minister of Education. During my speech, in addition to expressing my gratitude to Minister Pan and the National Central Library’s Director General Tseng Shu-hsien, I explained how in the last few years I’ve seen so much hard work being done in Tainan. Therefore, I also made a point of dedicating this award to the contributions of all our city’s residents. In order to meet the sincere reading needs of city residents, I expect that our city’s bureaus, departments, offices, and commissions will continue working hard in our effort to improve the quality of school libraries and public libraries, our construction project for the new Tainan Municipal Library, and the diversity of exciting promotional events that we’re holding in order to help Tainan become a city that’s refined and polished, cultured and courteous, and even more competitive than before. I want to give a warm thank you to Tainan City’s Cultural Affairs Bureau for promotingthe building projects of new municipal library as well as branch libraries, the Bureau of Education’s work in raising the quality of school libraries, and the assistance of both teachers and village chiefs. I would like to take this opportunity to now give a sincere thank you to those working hard on the front lines.
3. Bringing life to the ancient capital, and improving the ways we welcome our guests
a. Tainan is a city that boasts both history and culture as well as fantastic scenery featuring the ocean and mountains, and each season offers unique aspects that are truly captivating. The end of the year is approaching fast, and Tainan’s vitality is even more palpable than usual, as, one after another, the city will be hosting the Tainan Gourmet Festival, Tainan Shopping Festival, the Hayashi Department Store Anniversary Parade, and then the Christmas Lights Festival. On social media you’ll be able to find distinctive delicacies, limited merchandise, amazing sights on the streets, and beautiful Lights Festival scenery. Citizens of this nation will surely admire Tainan at this time, and the occasions mentioned above will add a lot of color to the city during the winter.
b. If a city seeks to become a tourism city, having a complete as well as diverse amount of lodging options is an important indicator. After three years where there have been many local meetings, reviews and inspections, and conferences about revisions, in September 2016 the Ministry of Transportation and Communications’ Tourism Bureau officially announced that the Tainan Double Section Tourism District has earned the distinction of being the nation’s first tourism district. The city government has already begun work on the project’s minor plans, and starting next year (2017) on January 1 the government will start taking guesthouse applications. Interested city residents are asked to be active participants, and we thank our city’s Tourism Bureau for their hard work these last few years.
c. Next year’s Chinese New Year (or Spring Festival) is earlier than normal. So, in order to make sure a wide range of services are available for both domestic and international visitors, and this includes the public safety of hotels and guesthouses, transportation, tourist routes, historic sites and tourism areas, and marketing of the city, the city’s bureaus, departments, offices, and commissions are asked to make plans and prepare as soon as possible. Furthermore, the Department of Information and International Relations is asked to utilize new media, which will help in the marketing and promotion of Tainan City. In addition to this, the annual Yue Jin Lantern Festival will begin before the Chinese New Year. The city’s bureaus, departments, offices, and commissions as well as district offices are asked to fully cooperate with the Cultural Affairs Bureau so that we can thoroughly prepare the city for this year’s big event.
Reports
1. Agriculture Bureau’s report “Epidemic Prevention and Precautionary Measures for Bird Flu During the Winter Season” (please see the written report for more information)
Resolution: Approved for reference filing
Mayor’s remarks:
a. The bird flu is primed to be a vicious epidemic with worldwide consequences during this year’s winter, as all over Europe both birds in poultry farms and wild birds have been discovered to be carrying highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N8). Starting in November, one report after another has mentioned the epidemic situation occurring in poultry farms and habitats for migratory birds in nearby China, Japan, and South Korea. Furthermore, influenza A virus subtype H5N6 was detected in bodies of water and the fecal matter of wild birds in those countries. China, Japan, and South Korea have all detected H5N6 that can infect humans, yet H5N8 in Europe hasn’t been transmitted to humans. Last year, new strains of virus subtypes of H5N2, H5N3, and H5N8 caused a very serious bird flu epidemic in Taiwan, but the virus only spread from bird to bird, as it wasn’t able to infect humans. This year, H5N2 and H5N8 have already been monitored in Tainan. Concerning the present situation in which H5N2 and H5N8 have not yet been transmitted from birds to humans, we will not focus on merely controlling the spread of the the viruses in poultry farms, as we should and will increase the amount of information that’s communicated to the public. We will also seek to prevent migratory birds carrying the H5N6 virus from coming to Tainan.
b. Traces of influenza A virus subtype H5N6 have already been detected in Tainan City’s Taijiang National Park. Therefore, efforts to monitor and control the epidemic from occurring must be increased so that the virus won’t spread to wild birds and domestic fowl outside Taijiang National Park.
c. We ask that the Agriculture Bureau, as soon as possible, arrange to take me to inspect precautionary measures the city is implementing in regards to H5N2 and H5N8. We also call on city residents to strengthen their own precautionary measures so that migratory birds that are possibly carrying H5N6 are prevented from coming into contact with birds and domestic fowl they’re raising.
d. We ask that the Agriculture Bureau warn city residents off going near or touching migratory birds and wild birds in order to prevent possibly dangerous situations from occurring.