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Hsueh, defense minister offer to resign
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NO DECISION: Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said he would not consider the pair¡¦s resignations until an overall review of the Cabinet is conducted early next month
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By Shih Hsiu-chuan and Jenny W. Hsu
STAFF REPORTERS
Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 1
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Executive Yuan Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (Á§­»¤t) and Minister of National Defense Chen Chao-min (³¯»F±Ó) offered to resign yesterday after becoming magnets for criticism over the government¡¦s response to the destruction wrought by Typhoon Morakot.

Chen was criticized for the ministry¡¦s slow deployment of troops and equipment to evacuate stranded villagers, while Hsueh came under fire after he admitted attending a Father¡¦s Day dinner at a five-star hotel in Taipei on Aug. 8 while southern Taiwan was being pummeled by torrential rains.

Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (¼B¥ü¥È) confirmed that Chen and Hsueh had given him their verbal resignations.

Liu said he would not make a decision about the two men until an overall review of the Cabinet is made early next month.

¡§The August 8 flooding was a great trauma for the country. We devoted ourselves wholeheartedly to disaster relief and reconstruction, but what we did was perceived negatively by the public,¡¨ Liu said.

I care about that very much. I feel bad, guilty and sad,¡¨ the premier said.

¡§I wish all the people in the country could trust us and believe that we understand your sufferings and will continue to spare no effort until reconstruction is accomplished and done well,¡¨ he said.

Liu, however, did not elaborate on what he saw as his responsibilities.

The premier also did not respond when asked if he would follow Ma in offering an apology to the people and skirted the question of what he might have done wrong.

Liu said he had reached an agreement with Ma that Cabinet members need to do their jobs well at this stage and that any decision on a reshuffle would be made early next month after an overall review of the Cabinet¡¦s performance.

¡§Of course I will be included in the overall review,¡¨ Liu said.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Shu-lei (ù²QÁ¢) yesterday urged Ma to keep his promise to reshuffle the Cabinet next month, adding that if the party was unable to empathize with the public, it should be ¡§toppled¡¨ as well.

¡§The [Cabinet] team led by Liu Chao-shiuan is problematic. This is evident given its approval ratings in public opinion polls conducted by organizations at home and abroad,¡¨ Lo said.

Ma would never regain the trust of the people if he only found a few scapegoats to take the blame for the government, Lo said.

Meanwhile, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said the government must upgrade its compensation plan and repeated its demand that the Cabinet be reshuffled immediately.

DPP spokesman Cheng Wen-tsang (¾G¤åÀé) criticized Liu for not offering to resign, saying the premier and the Cabinet were the main reason the typhoon escalated into a crisis and that Liu must take responsibility.

Speaking at the party¡¦s Central Executive Committee meeting, DPP Chairperson Tsai Ing-wen (½²­^¤å) urged the government to quickly implement the Typhoon Morakot reconstruction resolution initiated by the DPP caucus and increase its compensation offers.

The DPP has proposed that each household that was under 50cm of floodwater should receive NT$50,000 instead of the NT$20,000 set by the Ministry of Interior. The Council of Labor Affairs should also increase the hourly wage payable for victims who have lost their jobs from NT$100 to NT$150 or NT$1,200 a day, it said.

The DPP asked the government to issue interest-free loans to help victims pay their mortgages.

The DPP committee also agreed to postpone the party¡¦s annual national convention from Sept. 19 to Oct. 17.
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Taipei Bus Station opens amid fears of heavy traffic
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NEW HUB ON THE BLOCK: Some complained about poor signage, which made finding the bus station a little difficult, but the dreaded traffic jams did not materialize

By Mo Yan-chih
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 2
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The new Taipei Bus Station, the biggest bus terminal in the city, opened yesterday amid concerns that increased traffic would exacerbate congestion on Huayin Street, Chengde Road and Civic Boulevard.

The station, located at the intersection of Chengde Road and Huayin Street, will serve as the main transportation hub for 10 bus companies running 39 routes to Ilan County and cities, as well as counties south of Hsinchu.

Five other bus companies providing 10 routes to Taoyuan County and cities and counties north of Taoyuan will continue to use the old bus station on Chongqing N Road.

No serious traffic jams were reported around the station yesterday.

Liang Heng-de (±çùÚ¼w), assistant director of the Department of Transportation¡¦s public transportation office, said the department and all bus companies had held a trial run during the past two months, which accounted for the smooth launch of operations.

The Traffic Police Division dispatched about 40 traffic police to the area to prevent traffic jams.

Most passengers taking buses at the station yesterday welcomed the comfortable environment of the new station, but complained about unclear signs.

¡§It took us a while to find the entrance to the station and we had to walk a long way from Taipei Main Station to take a bus here. It is quite inconvenient,¡¨ a female passenger surnamed Lin said.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Taipei City Councilor Chen Yu-mei (³¯¥É±ö) expressed her concerns about serious traffic congestion around the station during weekends and rush hour, as several hundred buses would be entering and exiting the station every day, increasing traffic on the already crowded Chengde Road and Civic Boulevard.

Commissioner of the transportation department Luo Shiaw-shyan (ù§µ½å) said the city would enforce overpass entrance controls on Civic Boulevard and other measures to avoid problems.

The bus station has 30 ticketing counters on the first floor and 32 platforms on the second, third and fourth floors. The 24-story building also features a shopping area, movie theater and hotel, which are scheduled to open next month.

To celebrate the opening of the station, the underground parking lot on Civil Boulevard will be free for scooters until Sept. 10.

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Therapists called in for victims, rescuers
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STRESS: After criticism that troops had been ordered to 'sniff' for bodies, the army ceased the practice and said troops would have mental health checks
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By Meggie Lu
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 3
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As post-Morakot relief, rescue and clean-up efforts moved into their 12th day yesterday, retrieval of body parts, the distribution of cash aid and provisions to take care of the mental health of the victims, as well as rescue work, topped of the list.

Clad in biochemical protective suits and masks, yesterday morning two dozen soldiers from Army Troop 542 traversed the rapid Nantzuhsien River (·£±ê¥P·Ë) to the site of Jiaxian Township¡¦s (¥Ò¥P) Xiaolin Village (¤pªL), Kaohsiung County, to retrieve three bodies that were discovered on Tuesday.

Recovery of the victims was difficult because the dead were buried under between 3m and 10m of mud and rocks from the mudslides caused by Typhoon Morakot on Aug. 8.

Because of poor weather conditions, the bodies, as well as some 30 others that had been sighted on Tuesday, could not be retrieved and carried across the river until yesterday.

In response to criticism that some soldiers had been ordered to search for bodies by kneeling on the ground and sniffing for rotting flesh, the Army¡¦s Eighth Troop Director of Political Warfare Hu Jui-chou (­J·ç¦à) told a press conference that three search and rescue dogs, five sets of flammable gas detectors, three ground-penetrating radars and three methane detectors, provided by other government agencies, would be employed in future retrieval work.
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Local media reported that some soldiers had developed psychological problems after sniffing for the dead. One female solder was quoted by local media as saying that since she did not know what a corpse smelled like, another soldier had taken her to a corpse that had been dug up so that she could identify the ¡§death smell.¡¨

¡§The soldiers who performed rescue work by sniffing for bodies will be given physical and mental health checks soon,¡¨ Hu said.

The Ministry of Education said that it had summoned 190 certified mental health therapists to come to the aid of the thousands of school children traumatized by the storm.

¡§A number of children are already showing signs of acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder,¡¨ said Wu Song-lin (§dªQªL), director of the Student Counseling Center at National Kaohsiung Normal University, who doubles as the head of the education ministry¡¦s Southern Taiwan Counseling Center.

Play therapy, music therapy, or role playing would be employed to help the children, Wu said, adding: ¡§We will first arrange for group counseling sessions for all affected teachers and students, and then provide further assistance to students who show signs of mental health problems.¡¨

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Justice¡¦s Institute of Forensic Medicine and Investigation Bureau said its forensics experts had so far tested 21 DNA samples taken from bodies and identified five bodies of victims of the typhoon.

Local prosecutors¡¦ offices are urging those who have missing family members to have their DNA samples taken in order to aid them in identifying those who died in the disaster.

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Meanwhile, Pingtung County Government yesterday began distributing cash relief to victims in community centers and shelters around Linbian Township (ªLÃä) and Jiadong Township (¨Î¥V), one of the worst affected regions.

The aid, which includes a NT$10,000 consolation fund and a NT$20,000 flood subsidy for every household, would be given to a total of 8,306 families, the government said, adding that those without identification documents could still receive money if a township, village or borough government employee could identify the person.

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Ma berated by victims on visit to Xiaolin Village
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SAYING SORRY: Leading government officials in a bow to the villagers, the president apologized for visiting so long after the mudslide that likely killed almost 400 people
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By Ko Shu-ling
STAFF REPORTER
Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 3

Twelve days after Typhoon Morakot lashed the nation, President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨­^¤E) yesterday visited Xiaolin Village (¤pªL), Kaohsiung County ¡X one of the hardest hit areas.

Ma was confronted by angry relatives and friends of the approximately 400 people who are believed to have died when the village was destroyed by mudslides.

An unidentified woman screamed in Ma¡¦s face, saying a government construction project had contributed to the Xiaolin disaster by weakening the foundations of several surrounding mountains.

One man recalled comments Ma made to Britain¡¦s ITN News in which he appeared to blame the victims for their own fate, saying they did not evacuate storm-affected areas quickly enough.

¡§Why are you coming here to see us only now?¡¨ the man asked in footage broadcast by several TV stations. ¡§You keep blaming the disaster on us for not evacuating earlier. We did not receive any instruction to leave before the storm hit.¡¨

Leading government officials in a deep bow, Ma apologized for visiting so late. After listening to grievances at a temple in Jiaxian Township (¥Ò¥P), the president promised to complete reconstruction of Xiaolin during his first term of office. The project would include establishing a reconstruction fund and possibly a memorial park or plinth, he said.

He also vowed to finish the assembly of prefabricated housing a month after a suitable location had been found. Until then, Ma said the families would receive a monthly subsidy from the county government, ranging from NT$6,000 to NT$10,000 for rent, adding that the central government had wired NT$1 billion (US$31 million) to the county treasury.

The government watchdog, the Control Yuan, plans to launch an investigation into the Water Resources Agency¡¦s water diversion project, Ma said, adding that the Executive Yuan would also begin an inquest into the matter and the Kaohsiung District Court would conduct a judicial inquiry. Should the government be found responsible, Ma said national compensation would apply.

Ma also assured the survivors that the process of obtaining death certificates for their loved ones would be simplified.

As the typhoon season is not over, Ma urged victims¡¦ families to evacuate should the county government deem it necessary in future.

Before he sat down with victims¡¦ families, Ma paid respects to Chang Shun-fa (±i¶¶µo) and Huang Mei-chih (¶ÀÁâ´¼) in Taichung City.

They were among the three crew members of a UH-1H helicopter that crashed last week in the Yila Valley in Wutai Township (Ãú¥x), Pingtung County, during relief operations.

Former vice president Annette Lu (§f¨q½¬), who also attended the event, said it would not solve the problem if Ma stepped down, but the government officials responsible should be replaced as soon as possible.

Taichung Mayor Jason Hu (­J§Ó±j) said the government should listen to calls for a Cabinet reshuffle and deliver a satisfactory result, but the government¡¦s overall performance was more important.
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Ma needs a lesson in leadership

Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 8

When a natural disaster strikes, an analogy is often drawn between a government¡¦s disaster relief efforts and that of its military going to battle. By this analogy, the government lost the battle of Typhoon Morakot.

President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨­^¤E), as commander-in-chief, must shoulder responsibility.

Ma¡¦s performance was so poor that Beijing and the People¡¦s Liberation Army, which no doubt are scrutinizing his actions in the face of crisis, must be slapping themselves on the back. Never could they have imagined that Ma would be such a poor leader. They must feel that Taiwan would succumb easily to an invasion.

¡§I exercise strong leadership,¡¨ Ma said on Tuesday at a press conference when asked by reporters how he viewed his performance since the typhoon struck on Aug. 8.

A quick glance at poll results published by the media yesterday reveals Ma¡¦s plunging approval rate and the public¡¦s dissatisfaction with the government¡¦s rescue and relief efforts. There is a huge gap between the president¡¦s definition of ¡§strong leadership¡¨ and the public¡¦s appraisal.

If the government¡¦s performance in the wake of Morakot is Ma¡¦s idea of ¡§strong leadership,¡¨ the public should be very concerned about the government¡¦s capabilities.

Defending his response, Ma said bad weather was the main reason for the delay in the government¡¦s rescue efforts, preventing it from airlifting trapped villagers.

The safety of rescue teams must be taken into consideration, but Ma could have ordered the military to launch other rescue efforts rather than waiting three days.

Surely Ma does not mean to imply that the military cannot handle bad weather. If so, he may have to beg China not to invade during a typhoon.

Within hours of the 921 Earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, a directive was issued to all military personnel, warning that whoever failed in disaster relief would be dealt with according to military law.

The directive demonstrated the commander-in-chief¡¦s determination and recognized the seriousness of the situation, setting an example that carried over to the troops.

This time around, military personnel were forced to wait for orders, although many soldiers were anxious to get to the disaster zone and help the victims of flooding and mudslides.

A leader¡¦s attitude is important and sets the tone for his subordinates. If a commander seems unconcerned about rescue efforts, what is to be expected of those under him?

It should come as no surprise, then, that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (¼B¥ü¥È) got a hair-cut and Executive Yuan Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (Á§­»¤t) was out dining on haute cuisine while the south faced the onslaught of Morakot.

¡§A competent leader can get efficient service from poor troops, while on the contrary an incapable leader can demoralize the best of troops,¡¨ late US brigadier general John Pershing once said ¡X words that Ma should treat as counsel.

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Slow, inefficient action
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Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 8

It¡¦s a total disgrace to this government that more than a week after Typhoon Morakot struck, the total death toll remains unknown and people still have to fend for themselves in remote mountainous areas while government officials engage in buck-passing.

Although the scope of this disaster is probably the result of the amount of rainfall Typhoon Morakot brought, the underlying reasons for the mudslides are the same as they always were.

It¡¦s also a pity that Taiwanese media never seem to reach a higher level than the average tabloid and are competing with each other for the most tears per minute on camera rather than focusing on the bigger picture.

I keep wondering how things would have been if the north, rather than the south, had been flooded by Morakot and government officials had to deal personally with dead relatives as a result of their incompetence.

The next elections will surely be heavily influenced by this clear show of incompetence.

MARCO KONIJNENDIJK

Ridderkerk,
The Netherlands

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Government ineptitude is deadly
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By Huang Yu-wen ¶À­§¶²
Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 8

¡¥At a time when the country is struggling to handle an emergency and survivors are waiting to be rescued, an effective central emergency center is needed to mobilize and supervise the relief work, yet the government¡¦s coordination has been inept.¡¦

Typhoon Morakot struck the south on Aug. 8, Father¡¦s Day, causing severe damage and a death toll probably numbering in the hundreds. Mountainous areas were especially hard hit, with mudslides devastating entire villages, such as Xiaolin Village (¤pªL) in Jiaxian Township (¥Ò¥P), Kaohsiung County.

The number of people confirmed missing or dead continues to rise. Areas that flooded are covered by tonnes of mud and with main bridges destroyed, main townships have effectively become disconnected islands. There are potentially thousands of people trapped in the disaster zone.

In Alishan, for example, communities have no electricity, running water or basic telecommunications. Their stocks of food have dwindled and yet they are still waiting to be airlifted.

Devastated communities have become chaotic burial grounds, and the survivors do not know where their loved ones¡¦ remains lie beneath the meters-deep mud.

People whose families were in Xiaolin Village made their way there only to find the entire village had been wiped out by mudslides. Crying, screaming, shouting and calling the names of lost loved ones, they knew they would receive no answer.

It seems that no central government official has been in effective charge of coordinating the relief work.

The death toll continues to climb, yet Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (¼B¥ü¥È) said ¡§the relief work is proceeding quickly enough.¡¨

Villagers remain trapped and the level of danger they face is not clear, yet the Ministry of Foreign Affairs originally turned down foreign aid and relief and said Taiwan could deal with the relief work on its own. It said Taiwan would accept money donations, but not other forms of support, including helicopters, which were most needed.

At a time when the country is struggling to handle an emergency and survivors are waiting to be rescued, an effective central emergency center is needed to mobilize and supervise the relief work, yet the government¡¦s coordination has been inept.

Government resources are essentially frozen because no one is leading the gigantic government relief machine. Military troops that were ready to spring into action waited three days for orders.

Despite the government¡¦s poor performance, President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨­^¤E) considered it appropriate to attend the opening of the International Baseball Federation¡¦s World Youth Baseball Championship in Taichung and the closing of an academic conference in Taipei organized in memory of late civic rights and anti-communist activist Lei Chen (¹p¾_). Ma¡¦s actions were absurd and ironic.

While the public bears the sorrow of watching the death toll climb day by day and seeing survivors cry out for lost loved ones, the government and president are aloof.

The public was shocked when Ma told a CNN journalist who asked whether the government had been prepared for Morakot that typhoon victims in mountainous areas ¡§didn¡¦t realize how serious the typhoon was.¡¨

If they had evacuated earlier, the disaster would have been avoided, he said. He referred to disaster victims as ¡§they¡¨ six times in answering the question.

Ma came across as unsympathetic and self-centered. As the nation¡¦s leader, he preferred to blame the victims rather than shoulder the responsibility.

Part of Taiwan¡¦s disaster is having a government whose emergency relief mechanism is dysfunctional, a president like Ma and a Cabinet that is inept. The government¡¦s ineffective mobilization and coordination of relief efforts contrasts starkly with the efficient and swift response of civilians and civic groups.

Daily necessities, equipment and other supplies are piling up in local relief centers, yet are going nowhere. Heavy trucks, excavators and forklifts provided by the private sector are lined up outside relief centers yet their operators have not received instructions to help with road work or repairing broken bridges.

Volunteer workers of all ages are pouring in from everywhere to help the victims of Morakot, even traversing rough terrain on foot to reach isolated areas, but many volunteers are unsure where to go.

People anxious about the fate of their relatives are carrying heavy bags of food and other supplies, determined to reach home and find their families, regardless of the risks. Civilian rescue teams have been risking their lives to reach trapped and helpless survivors. Three lives were lost when a helicopter crashed during a rescue mission, leaving three families heartbroken.

Thousands of volunteer workers for the non-profit Buddhist Compassionate Relief Tzu Chi Foundation are providing food to victims, moving mud, distributing donated supplies and committing to help rebuild communities together with flood victims.

Troops and official rescue teams were not on the scene for three days.

When we needed more helicopters to airlift the wounded, evacuate people from mudslide-hit areas, take food and water to isolated villages, and prevent civilian rescuers from risking their lives by crossing floodwaters and unstable bridges, the government failed to mobilize rescue resources and rejected foreign aid from the US and Japan, claiming that Taiwan had enough resources.

The government¡¦s message was essentially that money was acceptable, but nothing else. ¡§We will be just fine,¡¨ it seemed to say even as people in the south struggled to survive.

Parts of the south were in chaos, yet the premier said rescue work was proceeding well. In reality, thousands of people remained trapped in disconnected villages and townships. Villagers awaiting rescue in Liukuei Township¡¦s (¤»Àt) Hsinkai community (·s¶}) put up a sign for those across a broken bridge to read, informing them that 32 people were dead and a rescue team was needed immediately.

¡§Death toll 32, SOS,¡¨ the sign said.

Typhoon Morakot brought a disaster that will never be forgotten in Taiwan. But the catastrophe was exacerbated by the failure of the government, which surely knew it was sacrificing innocent lives through its inaction. Unnecessary death and damage were brought upon Taiwan because of its central government, its premier and its president.

People are still missing and the death toll is rising. Hearts are broken, anger and frustration pour out in tears; loved ones are buried deep below the mud and will never return to their families¡¦ embraces.

Yet Taiwan will not lose its determination. It will be hopeful and brave. Broken hearts are still beating and full of love. Sympathy and encouragement, whether from a neighbor or communities across the country, provides strong mental support. Volunteer workers are on the scene, holding hands and calming suffering souls.

The government and president cannot slow the pace of civilian rescuers and the mobilization of the private sector. Taiwan¡¦s strength now is the ability of its people to unite in the face of catastrophe.

The public will do all it can to rescue people and keep hope alive.

As a Taiwanese, I have never felt so proud and so touched. We have a brilliant people ¡X brave, generous, independent and full of sympathy.

But we also have a dysfunctional government ¡X weak and disorganized. It turned a natural disaster into a man-made tragedy.

Ma¡¦s government should bear full responsibility for the unnecessary death and damage caused by its delay in relief and rescue work. Incapable officials should be held responsible. The Cabinet may soon be dismissed or shuffled.

Aid from the US, Britain, the EU, Germany, Japan, Singapore and other countries ¡X in total 59 so far ¡X is greatly appreciated. The public is grateful to see sorely needed US CH-53E helicopters, which can lift heavy equipment, finally arriving in Taiwan to assist in relief operations. This humanitarian support was a beautiful gesture.

After this disaster, the last word the mourning Taiwanese want to hear is ¡§government.¡¨ Hopefully, the roar of their anger will be heard and relief and reconstruction will come to the south as soon as possible.

Huang Yu-wen is a commentator based in Taipei.

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Delays in relief efforts exacerbated the disaster
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By Cheng Li-chiun Bill Chang ¾GÄR§g ±i°ê«°
Thursday, Aug 20, 2009, Page 8

Because of the government¡¦s apathy and incompetence when Typhoon Morakot struck earlier this month, people have been trapped in cut-off villages much longer than necessary. Government relief efforts have been a catastrophe.

Floodwaters and mudslides caused by the typhoon wiped out villages, leaving hundreds of people dead and many more homeless. Not only should we express heartfelt condolences to those who lost loved ones, we owe it to the victims to investigate the government¡¦s neglect lest such a tragedy happen again.

A key problem lies in the government¡¦s unwillingness to take responsibility.

Seventy-two hours after the disaster, there was a clear opportunity to rescue trapped villagers, yet President Ma Ying-jeou (°¨­^¤E) and Premier Liu Chao-shiuan (¼B¥ü¥È) failed to order immediate rescue operations or mobilize the necessary manpower.

Not only did the government fail to do all it could, Ma has yet to proclaim a state of emergency, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs initially refused overseas aid. Nevertheless, the Ma administration has blamed inaccurate weather forecasts and said local authorities were responsible for rescue work, while the central government would only provide support.

Article 34 of the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (¨a®`¨¾±Ïªk) stipulates that the central government should take the initiative in disaster relief efforts.

Local governments did not have access to armored vehicles or helicopters, which are controlled by the central government. It is irresponsible for Ma as commander in chief to say that local authorities bear full responsibility for the rescue operations and shows he does not understand the disaster law.

The government¡¦s incompetence in directing rescue operations exacerbated the tragedy.

Since the Pachang Creek (¤K´x·Ë) incident, disaster prevention measures have improved. But for areas still at high risk of flooding, the government should take the initiative to decide when to issue an early warning and evacuate residents.

A look at typhoons between 2001 and 2007 shows that although rainfall has increased, death tolls have fallen. Yet since the transfer of political power, the nation¡¦s disaster prevention system seems to have collapsed even though civil servants and the military remain the same.

The role of the president is a key factor.

After the 921 Earthquake, then-president Lee Teng-hui (§õµn½÷) went to the disaster area immediately and deployed military personnel to launch rescue work. He also accepted international aid.

Both the central and local governments managed to fulfill their responsibilities.

By contrast, though more than a week has passed since Morakot slammed into Taiwan, Ma still seems unaware of his powers, while Liu brags about the success of the government¡¦s rescue effort.

The public still doesn¡¦t know which government agency is in charge of the disaster relief: Is it the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the Ministry of the Interior, the Council of Agriculture, the Council of Indigenous Peoples, the Department of Health or the Environmental Protection Administration?

Work to restore running water and electricity, repair roads, dole out subsidies, relocate homeless families, prevent disease outbreaks and clear rubble and mud is chaotic.

It is frightening to speculate on how the reconstruction effort will proceed.

Cheng Li-chiun is chief executive of Taiwan Thinktank. Bill Chang is an advisory committee member at Taiwan Thinktank.
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