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MND to shut down late presidents' mausoleums Monday

ROC Central News Agency

2007-12-21 21:17:19

    Taipei, Dec. 21 (CNA) The administration of the mausoleums of the late presidents Chiang Kai-shek and Chiang Ching-kuo formally notified the Taoyuan county government Friday that it will close the mausoleums from Monday in preparation for management transfer.

    The Tashi Mausoleum Administration, which is under the Ministry of National Defense (MND), said the shutdown is to pave the way for the withdrawal of military guards posted at the two mausoleums, located in the county's Tashi township, and a check and inventory of the assets and artifacts before turning them over to the Taoyuan county government.

    As droves of people have come to the mausoleums over the past few days in anticipation of the impending closure, Tashi township chief Su Wen-sheng said the decision to shut them down is "rash."

    Su said the town has benefited from the mausoleums, noting that visitors and the business opportunities they bring -- such as sales of the town's famous bean curd, amount to an annual revenue of more than NT$400 million (US$12.35 million).

    Su said the government's decision to close the mausoleums in such a short time could harm the town's business.

    However, Taoyuan county government officials said that after the county government takes over the management of the mausoleums, it will inject more cultural factors to make them even more attractive to visitors.

    President Chen Shui-bian said earlier this month that the military guards posted at the mausoleums will be withdrawn from the beginning of next year.

    Branding the elder Chiang a dictator, Chen said there is no reason to use taxpayers' money to guard his mausoleum any longer.

    The elder Chiang died in 1975, while his son passed away in 1988. Both of them have been interred in Tashi, originally until such time as their bodies could be returned to China for burial.

    Executive Yuan spokesman Shieh Jyh-wey announced last Friday that the government will stop referring to the tombs as mausoleums and will simply call each a "tomb or grave."

(By Lilian Wu)

ENDITEM/J