A development project on Chipei islet (吉貝嶼), Penghu County, should be suspended immediately because it could seriously damage the ecological system, conservationists said yesterday.
"What we see here is a solution for an unsatisfactory situation that actually makes things worse," Chen Yueh-fong (
According to Chen, the project is part of government attempts to replace dozens of log cabins on the islet, the result of unplanned tourism, with a huge development project calling for millions of dollars in investment.
Last July, the Public Construction Commission and the Penghu National Scenic Area Administration under the Ministry of Transportation and Communication's Tourism Bureau invited bids for the project, which aimed at boosting local tourism.
According to the ministry, the more than NT$300 million investment would turn 22 hectares of land and 210 hectares of surrounding sea into an international recreational tourist spot. Shopping malls, restaurants, a luxury five-star hotel containing 350 rooms and parking lots would be established.
The deadline for evaluating developers' bids was set for next Tuesday. In October, the official bidding will be held. Approved developers will be entitled to run the business on the islet for 50 years.
"Why does the government intend to make the islet a source of pollutants, which would affect not only surrounding waters but also neighboring countries?" said Chen, who is an ecology professor at Providence University.
If the project proceeds, Chen said, pollutants discharged from the islet affect the coastlines of Japan, China and even South Korea.
On Thursday, Chen launched a signature drive on the Internet against the proposals. The drive, called "Saving the auspicious treasure islet," has so far received an enthusiastic response from not only environmentalists but also people with diverse professional backgrounds.
Chen said the islet, near the midline of the Taiwan Strait, was unlikely to attract foreign tourists because of its sensitive strategic position.
"But it can be an excellent base for Taiwanese scientists working on hot international issues regarding long-term environmental change, such as the rising sea level," Chen said.
The coastline on the islet, Chen said, is retreating 3m a year because of global warming.
Green Formosa Front chairman Wu Tung-jye (
"The environmental impact assessment has not been done at all," Wu said.
According to Hung Chih-kuang (
"We have set aside 10 hectares of land for scientific activities," Hung said.
In addition, Hung said, the government and developers would jointly recycle all waste water and have all garbage either incinerated or buried at an existing landfill.
To further push the government to halt the project, environmentalists and ecological conservationists will protest in front of the Tourism Bureau in Taipei on Monday.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A signaling system malfunction disrupted high-speed rail (HSR) services beginning at 8am today, with trains temporarily reduced to three northbound and three southbound trains per hour as authorities conduct inspections. The malfunction occurred on a section of track in Miaoli County during pre-operation checks early this morning, forcing northbound and southbound trains to use a single track, the HSR operator said. The regular schedule has been replaced with three hourly trains offering only nonreserved seating in each direction, stopping at every station, it said, adding that business class cars would still have reserved seating. Departures from terminal stations are scheduled at the top
Taiwan is still in the process of assessing the possibility of recruiting workers from Eswatini, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday, adding that its goal is to help Eswatini upgrade its vocational training centers. If there are plans to recruit workers from Eswatini, safeguarding national security, protecting public health and ensuring the employment rights of Taiwanese would be prerequisites, Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Yen Chia-liang (顏嘉良) told a news conference. Key considerations would also include filling labor shortages in specific industries, and fostering bilateral professional and technical exchanges, he said. Yen was asked about the progress of labor
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
RSS