President Ma Ying-jeou on the evening of August 21 was briefed on post-flood reconstruction at a conference held in the fort of the 8th Army Corps in Qishan Township of Kaohsiung County. The briefing was arranged by the Executive Yuan's Typhoon Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction Commission. After being briefed on the latest state of the disaster areas, as well as settlement and reconstruction projects, President Ma issued a number of directives.
President Ma remarked that the Executive Yuan has already established the Post-Disaster Reconstruction Commission, and cities and counties are also setting up similar organizations. The president said he hopes that these organizations will divide work among themselves in an appropriate manner and will also work in close coordination with Cabinet-level agencies so that everyone can do their utmost to carry out post-disaster reconstruction work. President Ma said that this initiative must be completed entirely within three years and that any delays are unacceptable. The president also asked the Research, Development and Evaluation Commission to monitor the work and provide progress reports on a regular basis.
Secondly, President Ma noted that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan mentioned that there would be four broad-based reconstruction projects. The first centers on the development of a national land conservation plan, while the second focuses on infrastructure. The third project involves reconstruction of homes and villages, while the fourth project emphasizes the reconstruction of industry in areas hit by the disaster. All of these projects must have clear timetables and be carried out as soon as possible. The president expressed his hopes that in the process of implementing these projects, local areas will be supported generously, simply and quickly. Each area of work must have a concrete timetable and progress reports must be submitted to monitor and evaluate performance. The Research, Development and Evaluation Commission should work together with similar agencies on the local level to ensure that this work is carried out, he said.
With regards to the payment of consolation money, the president said he has asked the Ministry of the Interior and local governments to complete 80% of this work within one week. President Ma commented that this cannot be accomplished solely by the Ministry of the Interior. Rather, assistance is required from local governments and related agencies, he said, adding that he hopes that after funds are distributed, related data will be published on the Internet so as to enable the public to understand the progress of this work.
As for the settlement of persons in disaster areas and persons whose homes were damaged in the floods, a three-pronged project will be carried out, including having people rent suitable space on their own, purchase homes on their own, and be resettled with assistance provided by the government. President Ma said he hopes that the central government and local governments will within three weeks complete shelters to house 80% of the persons who require resettlement.
President Ma remarked that the government has been the target of quite a bit of criticism in the course of carrying out rescue work. The president expressed his hope that the central government and local governments will together examine the opinions that people have expressed, and will treat them as important reference to improve their performance the next time. In addition, President Ma noted that many people have enthusiastically helped in rescue work and have made donations of cash or goods. He said he hopes the Ministry of the Interior will monitor how these donations are used, especially the cash ones. President Ma said that the funds and goods must reach the hands of the public in disaster areas and that the process of distributing these donations should be transparent.
Lastly, the president said that to commemorate those who died in this disaster, the Executive Yuan has approved a three-day mourning period starting from August 22 during which flags will be flown at half-staff. Meanwhile, President Ma said that a national gathering to commemorate those who were killed will be held on September 7. The president asked that the proper agencies plan and carry out this work with the utmost sympathy, and in a solemn and respectful manner. The president added that he would like to remind everyone that September 8 will mark the one-month anniversary of the Typhoon Morakot disaster and that he hopes that prior to that date, the central government and local governments will be able to make concrete headway in terms of settlement and reconstruction work, enabling the public to sense the efforts being made by the government.