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Taiwan Vows New Safety Laws After Quake Disaster

Taiwan's premier pledged Friday to change safety laws after more than 100 people were killed when an earthquake toppled an apartment complex thought to have been weakened by shoddy construction. In the first sitting of Taiwan's new parliament since the Democratic Progressive Party swept to victory in elections in January, Chang San-cheng said his cabinet's priority was to improve disaster prevention. Many residents of the 16-storey Wei-kuan complex in the southern city of Tainan were buried in rubble after the 6.4-magnitude quake on February 6. Anger has grown over accusations of shoddy building work, after photos of rubble at the site showed foam and tin cans had been used as filling in concrete structures. Prosecutors have said there were flaws in the building including inadequate steel reinforcement bars, and the developer is among three men facing charges over the disaster. Chang said the Building Act would be amended to "enhance quake-resistance standards of buildings, to improve construction quality control, and to strengthen the authorities' responsibility of inspection".

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