More than 1,000 people representing a number of civic and religious organizations, joined a “backwards march” in Taipei yesterday to show their opposition to the construction of casino resorts on off-shore islands.
Lining up behind a big red banner that read: “Save Taiwan from casinos,” the activists began their demonstration in Liberty Square and marched toward the Presidential Office.
When they reached Jingfu Gate (景福門) at the head of Ketagalan Boulevard, they turned around and marched backwards.
Taking part were members of groups representing women, Penghu residents, environmentalists, Christians, Taoists and Buddhists.
“This is the first time in history that so many people have walked backwards at the same time — because we’re worried that casinos would drag the country backwards in terms of the economy, public security, the environment, politics and morals,” said Ho Tsung-hsun (何宗勳), spokesman of the Alliance against the Legalization of Gambling.
He pointed out that Nevada, the US state where Las Vegas is located, ranks first in suicide and gambling addiction, third in bankruptcy and abortion, fourth in rape cases and alcohol-related deaths and last in voter turnout in presidential elections.
The Legislative Yuan passed an amendment to the Off-Shore Island Development Act (離島建設條例) in January that allows off-shore islands to build casinos after obtaining consent from a majority of residents in a simplified referendum.
Many local governments have shown an interest in building casino resorts, with Penghu County being the most active.
While the Penghu County Government estimates that casino resorts could attract more than 5 million visitors per year to Penghu and bring in more than NT$2.2 billion (US$63 million) in annual tax revenue, Buddhist Master Shih Chao-hui (釋昭慧) said that Taiwan would pay a much higher price.
“According to US studies, 17 percent of gamblers would become addicted and it takes US$18,000 to treat each of them,” Shih said. “Based on the figures, if 4.5 million gamblers in Penghu are from Taiwan, then we will need to spend NT$45 billion — plus other welfare spending and costs — to treat them.”
Huang Chi-hsiang (黃啟翔), a 28-year-old from Penghu, said only a handful of people — such as big corporations and politicians — would benefit from casinos.
“What would really benefit everyone in Penghu is to develop resort tourism modeled on Hawaii, Bali or the Great Barrier Reef,” he said.
As a casino referendum may be held in Penghu at the end of the year, Huang is worried.
“I know that most people my age are against casinos, but many older people are for them,” he said. “I’m a bit worried because most young people are either working or studying away from home.”
The march ended with a concert on Ketagalan Boulevard.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday voiced dissatisfaction with the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans- Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), whose latest meeting, concluded earlier the same day, appeared not to address the country’s application. In a statement, MOFA said the CPTPP commission had "once again failed to fairly process Taiwan’s application," attributing the inaction to the bloc’s "succumbing to political pressure," without elaborating. Taiwan submitted its CPTPP application under the name "Separate Customs Territory of Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen and Matsu" on Sept. 22, 2021 -- less than a week after China
THE GOOD WORD: More than 100 colleges on both sides of the Pacific will work together to bring students to Taiwan so they can learn Mandarin where it is spoken A total of 102 universities from Taiwan and the US are collaborating in a push to promote Taiwan as the first-choice place to learn Mandarin, with seven Mandarin learning centers stood up in the US to train and support teachers, the Foundation for International Cooperation in Higher Education of Taiwan (FICHET) said. At the annual convention of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages held over the weekend in New Orleans, Louisiana, a Taiwan Pavilion was jointly run by 17 representative teams from the FICHET, the Overseas Community Affairs Council, the Steering Committee for the Test of Proficiency-Huayu, the
A home-style restaurant opened by a Taiwanese woman in Quezon City in Metro Manila has been featured in the first-ever Michelin Guide honoring exceptional restaurants in the Philippines. The restaurant, Fong Wei Wu (豐味屋), was one of 74 eateries to receive a “Michelin Selected” honor in the guide, while one restaurant received two Michelin stars, eight received one star and 25 were awarded a “Bib Gourmand.” The guide, which was limited to restaurants in Metro Manila and Cebu, was published on Oct. 30. In an interview, Feng Wei Wu’s owner and chef, Linda, said that as a restaurateur in her 60s, receiving an
Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) on Monday announced light shows and themed traffic lights to welcome fans of South Korean pop group Twice to the port city. The group is to play Kaohsiung on Saturday as part of its “This Is For” world tour. It would be the group’s first performance in Taiwan since its debut 10 years ago. The all-female group consists of five South Koreans, three Japanese and Tainan’s Chou Tzu-yu (周子瑜), the first Taiwan-born and raised member of a South Korean girl group. To promote the group’s arrival, the city has been holding a series of events, including a pop-up
RSS