Taiwan Today

In response to recent suggestions by several legislators that the president’s official residence be relocated, Presidential Office spokesman Wang Yu-chi said in a Sept. 30 press conference that it would not be possible to move the official residence without moving the presidential building as well. If the presidential residence and presidential building are located too far apart, Wang explained, this would pose traffic and security problems. The farther apart the two structures are, the more traffic restrictions would have to be imposed on a daily basis, as the president travels to and from work. Security requirements would have to be increased as well. Such an arrangement would also be contrary to international practice. “I’m afraid moving one without the other is not that practical,” the spokesman said. The legislators’ suggestions and the press conference were both in response to a recent controversy surrounding the safety of the official presidential residence. The soon-to-be-completed I-Pin Yuan, a 23-story apartment complex, has a clear view of the presidential residence. Some fear the building, and possibly many others to be built nearby, could pose a security threat to the president and his family. In assessing the current situation and the recent suggestions, Wang quoted the proverb “distant waters cannot solve nearby fires,” meaning that a remote solution could not solve a pressing problem. To underscore his point, Wang noted that suggestions calling for both the presidential building and the presidential residence to be moved to Dazhi or Guandu, both in Taipei City, are not readily feasible. Right now it is not even clear where exactly the new structures would be located, or where the funds to build them would come from. The Presidential Office has no concrete plans regarding a move at the moment, he said. The presidential building and official residence are both located in what is known as the Boai Special District, where special building codes are in place, and where special permission is required to build any tall structure. Approval to build I-Pin Yuan was given years ago, when Ma Ying-jeou was still mayor of Taipei. Before permission to build was granted, the city government under then-mayor Ma held a special security meeting, with representatives from both the National Security Bureau and the Presidential Office present. Since no objections were raised, the city went ahead and granted permission for the apartment complex to be built. If developers feel very strongly that they would like to build more buildings near the Boai Special District and if popular opinion supports the idea that both the presidential building and the presidential residence be relocated at the same time, then “this issue becomes one that we can seriously consider,” Wang said. (HZW)