Description

In the early hours of September 21, 1999, a magnitude 7.3 earthquake rattled Nantou County in Central Taiwan. It was the worst calamity to hit Taiwan since the Second World War.

After President Lee Teng-hui issued an emergency decree on September 25, 1999 to expedite reconstruction efforts, Premier Vincent Siew convened top officials to discuss how the decree would be implemented. In February 2000, the government enacted the Provisional Act Governing 921 Earthquake Post-Disaster Reconstruction and set up the 921 Earthquake Post-Disaster Recovery Commission in Chung Hsing New Village to lead reconstruction efforts and rebuild communities ravaged by the quake.

This photo shows Premier Siew (in blue) at the Executive Yuan on October 17, 1999, listening to the Ministry of Justice’s report on the emergency decree and announcing the implementation of the decree.