On October 15 in Taoyuan City, at least six uniformed high school and junior high school students were involved in a group violence in front of the Wuhe Palace in Zhongli District. They were suspected of forcing the victim to kneel, punching and kicking. The video circulated on the Internet and caused public outrage. Wuhe Palace also involved illegal construction issues. The Municipal Building Management Office issued a letter on the 20th notifying the illegal builders to demolish the buildings by themselves before the 26th. The Construction Management Office pointed out today (27th) that although the illegal builders cooperated in carrying out some demolition work on their own during the consecutive holidays, some structures still have not been completely demolished. The Construction Management Office has enforced the demolition work in the morning, and it is expected that all demolitions will be completed on the 28th.
"To eradicate violence and bring peace of mind, we will demolish it when necessary. We will resolutely defend Taoyuan's public safety." Taoyuan Mayor Zhang Shanzheng posted on Facebook in the afternoon, saying that Wuhe Temple, an illegally built temple where minor violence occurred in Zhongli, was inspected by the city government and confirmed to involve illegal construction and public safety concerns. The Construction Management Office has entered the site this morning to force demolition, and the demolition will be completed by tomorrow at the latest.
Zhang Shanzheng said that the police have investigated the violent incident and the juvenile involved has been transferred to the juvenile court. Illegal construction with safety concerns will be dealt with first by the city government according to the degree of danger. The law enforcement this time is also based on the same standards. He would like to thank the Construction Management Office, Police Station, District Office and all enforcement colleagues. Colleagues are on the front line, and the mayor is on the same side. Those that should be demolished shall be demolished in accordance with the law. We must provide the greatest support to our colleagues who perform official duties in accordance with the law and protect citizens.
Luo Zhongting, the demolition section chief of the Construction Management Office, pointed out that although the illegal builder and the palace and temple management in this case recently expressed their willingness to cooperate with the city government's request and demolish it on their own, they later sent a letter stating that they requested the city government to avoid demolition and take photos and list the buildings. In this regard, the city government's position is clear. Related cases must still be handled based on the facts of violations, legal provisions and formal administrative sanctions. Photography and listing cannot be used to replace the obligations of improvement or demolition that should be performed according to law.
Luo Zhongting said that the city government listed the project under management last week in accordance with the deadline improvement notice and relevant legal procedures, requiring the actual self-demolition progress to be confirmed before the end of the consecutive holidays. Taking into account the narrow alleys on site and the safety of neighboring buildings, the city adopted a gradual demolition method with manual work first and then machinery, taking into account demolition efficiency and construction safety. The demolition costs in this case will be recovered from the illegal builder in accordance with the law, and the principles of accountability, self-responsibility and fair burden will be implemented.
The Construction Management Office emphasized that the city government will never lend leniently to illegal construction and will have zero tolerance for violence in the future. As long as illegal construction involves violence and illegality, it will cooperate with relevant units to upgrade the category of illegal construction to speed up processing, prioritize investigation and execution, take concrete actions to curb illegality, maintain public safety and building management order, and demonstrate determination to enforce public powers in accordance with the law.
