The Kaohsiung "City within a City" fire killed 46 people and injured 41 people; Fei Hongtai, general summoner of the Kuomintang Legislative Yuan Caucus, Chen Yuzhen, secretary general, and others went to the Taiwan Supervision Yuan on 20 July to denounce Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Qimai for dereliction of duty, criticizing the Kaohsiung Municipal Government for throwing the pot on the grounds of "man-made arson" and "buildings without management committees" since the incident, and Chen Qimai should bear all political responsibility.
Fei Hongtai (second from right), general secretary of the Kuomintang Legislative Yuan Caucus, and others went to the Control Yuan on 20 July to report Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Qimai for dereliction of duty. (Image source: Taipei Zhongshi News Network)
Taipei Zhongshi News Network reported that Fei Hongtai said that since Chen Qimai took office, Kaohsiung has been constantly shot, as if it has become the "capital of Qingji" ("Qingji" Hokkien bullet meaning), and now the most serious fire in the history of Kaohsiung has occurred, Kaohsiung City under the administration of Chen Qimai, the municipal government is in a mess, in the Taiwan media announced on the 19th that the taiwan media announced the satisfaction of the heads of all Taiwan counties and cities, Kaohsiung is also the last of the "six capitals."
Fei Hongtai criticized Chen Qimai for asking former Taichung Mayor Hu Zhiqiang in 2011 to take responsibility for the nightclub fire, and now in the face of similar situations, Chen Qimai must have the courage to assume legal and political responsibility.
Fei Hongtai mentioned that the Kuomintang caucus came to the Control Yuan on the 20th to seek justice for the people of Kaohsiung, because Chen Qimai and the municipal government team were lax and lazy in their administration, resulting in the death of innocent Kaohsiung citizens, and demanded that the Control Yuan must go beyond the party and impartial investigation.
Chen Yuzhen said that since the incident occurred, the LEGislators and officials of the Dpp in Kaohsiung have been bent on pushing the responsibility for the accident to "man-made arson," "public safety accidents," "more (urban renewal) laws and regulations are incomplete," and "there is no management committee." Thousands of mistakes are the fault of others and the faults of the grassroots.
Fei Hongtai said that Chen Ju, the president of the Control Yuan, who has been the mayor of Kaohsiung for nearly 12 years, may be a direct or indirect party in the case and should recuse himself from the investigation. Chen Yuzhen also said bluntly that the Kuomintang caucus sent Chen Qingxin's letter on the 20th, asking the Control Yuan to conduct a fair investigation and let the Kaohsiung city government officials who neglected their duties get the punishment they deserved.
Chen Qimai briefly served as acting mayor of Kaohsiung city in February 2005 and ran for mayor of Kaohsiung city on behalf of the Democratic Progressive Party in 2018, losing to Kuomintang candidate Han Kuo-yu, China News Agency reported. On June 6, 2020, Han Hanyu was voted to remove the mayor. Chen Qimai won the mayoral by-election on August 15, continuing Han Hanyu's remaining two-year and four-month term. (End)