|
ASE to gift NT$100m a
year for environmental cause
POLLUTION: The chip packager’s chairman denied
that the firm intentionally discharged wastewater into a river and said it was
committed to its social responsibilities
By Helen Ku / Staff reporter
Fishermen clash with police
during a protest against Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc at Greater
Kaohsiung’s Nanzih Export Processing Zone yesterday, alleging that the zone
administrators helped cover up the company’s wastewater pollution.
Photo: Chang Chung-yi, Taipei Times
Advanced Semiconductor
Engineering Inc chairman Jason Chang bows during a press conference in Taipei
yesterday as he apologizes for the company’s wastewater pollution.
Photo: Lin Cheng-kung, Taipei Times
Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc
(ASE, 日月光半導體) chairman Jason Chang (張虔生) yesterday apologized for the company’s
recent wastewater pollution incident and said ASE would donate up to NT$3
billion (US$101 million) over the next 30 years to help promote environmental
protection in the nation.
Chang made the remarks after staying behind the scenes for seven days since ASE
was fined NT$600,000 by Greater Kaohsiung’s Environmental Protection Bureau on
Tuesday last week for discharging toxic wastewater from its biggest plant, known
as K7, into the Houjin River (後勁溪).
“ASE will not dodge the responsibility that it must take, nor will the company
cover up any employee’s wrongdoing that deserves punishment,” Chang said at a
press conference.
Chang reiterated that the company never intended to discharge wastewater
illegally, and that it stays committed to social responsibility through
environment-related investment.
ASE will donate at least NT$100 million each year, beginning next year, through
2044, he said.
Chang said the company’s daily operation would not be affected, adding that the
company has begun constructing a green factory in Greater Kaohsiung’s Nanzih
Export Processing Zone at a cost of NT$72 billion and is planning to recruit
16,000 more workers as part of its business expansion plan.
In addition, ASE is set to launch its new wastewater treatment plant in Greater
Kaohsiung as early as the second quarter of next year, he said.
The new wastewater treatment plant is being constructed at a cost of NT$750
million and will be capable of purifying up to 20,000 tonnes of wastewater
discharged from ASE’s plants in Greater Kaohsiung, he added.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday said it supports Greater
Kaohsiung’s Environmental Protection Bureau’s penalties for the company’s
misconduct.
“In regards to the ASE water-pollution issue, the ministry supports the
Environmental Protection Bureau taking the severest measures against ASE,”
Minister of Economic Affairs Chang Chia-juch (張家祝) told the legislature’s
Economic Committee.
|
