Recent improvements to the quality of tap water in Kaohsiung are "belated justice" for residents, President Chen Shui-bian (
At the opening ceremony of three new water-treatment plants held yesterday in Chengching Lake, Kaohsiung County, Chen said that the achievement was the first step toward balancing national development between the south and north.
"From now on, Kaohsiung residents can wipe away their tears, embrace good water and enjoy the belated justice," Chen said.
Chen said that Vice Premier Lin Hsin-yi (
"I was initially worried about the obstacles we encountered," Chen said yesterday. "Fortunately, our determination conquered the seemingly impossible."
The government allocated a NT$15 billion in March this year for the three-year project. NT$4 billion remains unspent.
Minister of Economic Affairs Lin Yi-fu (
Major tasks included relocating water intakes to the Kaoping River (
Lin said that all tasks were completed two months early.
Premier Yu Shyi-kun, who stood alongside Chen at the opening ceremony, stressed that determination was the decisive factor.
Yu said People First Party Chairman James Soong (
For decades, water suppliers added excessive chlorine to disinfect raw water from the Kaoping River, which was polluted from both illegal dumping and waste water discharged from pig farms.
Since the discovery in July 2000 that toxic solvents were illegally being dumped in the Chishan River, which flows into Kaoping River, most residents have complained about the water's chemical odor and used it only for rinsing.
Most residents buy bottled spring water for drinking and cooking.
Kaohsiung County Commissioner Yang Chiu-hsing (
In the past three years, the Cabinet's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) relocated 470,000 pigs raised on farms along the Kaoping River, effectively cutting excrement pollutants discharged from farms.
Meanwhile, 2,000 residents from 12 townships in Tainan County yesterday demonstrated at the Nanhua Reservoir, saying that local development had been restrained for decades in order to protect water supplies. Some demonstrators jumped into the reservoir to express their and anger.
Tainan County Commissioner Wu Chien-pao (
Conflict with Taiwan could leave China with “massive economic disruption, catastrophic military losses, significant social unrest, and devastating sanctions,” a US think tank said in a report released on Monday. The German Marshall Fund released a report titled If China Attacks Taiwan: The Consequences for China of “Minor Conflict” and “Major War” Scenarios. The report details the “massive” economic, military, social and international costs to China in the event of a minor conflict or major war with Taiwan, estimating that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could sustain losses of more than half of its active-duty ground forces, including 100,000 troops. Understanding Chinese
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it is closely monitoring developments in Venezuela, and would continue to cooperate with democratic allies and work together for regional and global security, stability, and prosperity. The remarks came after the US on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was later flown to New York along with his wife. The pair face US charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. Maduro has denied the allegations. The ministry said that it is closely monitoring the political and economic situation
UNRELENTING: China attempted cyberattacks on Taiwan’s critical infrastructure 2.63 million times per day last year, up from 1.23 million in 2023, the NSB said China’s cyberarmy has long engaged in cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure, employing diverse and evolving tactics, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday, adding that cyberattacks on critical energy infrastructure last year increased 10-fold compared with the previous year. The NSB yesterday released a report titled Analysis on China’s Cyber Threats to Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure in 2025, outlining the number of cyberattacks, major tactics and hacker groups. Taiwan’s national intelligence community identified a large number of cybersecurity incidents last year, the bureau said in a statement. China’s cyberarmy last year launched an average of 2.63 million intrusion attempts per day targeting Taiwan’s critical
‘SLICING METHOD’: In the event of a blockade, the China Coast Guard would intercept Taiwanese ships while its navy would seek to deter foreign intervention China’s military drills around Taiwan this week signaled potential strategies to cut the nation off from energy supplies and foreign military assistance, a US think tank report said. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted what it called “Justice Mission 2025” exercises from Monday to Tuesday in five maritime zones and airspace around Taiwan, calling them a warning to “Taiwanese independence” forces. In a report released on Wednesday, the Institute for the Study of War said the exercises effectively simulated blocking shipping routes to major port cities, including Kaohsiung, Keelung and Hualien. Taiwan would be highly vulnerable under such a blockade, because it
RSS