In the wake of the Miaoli County Government’s forced seizure of farmland in Jhunan Township’s (竹南) Dapu Borough (大埔), residents of Taipei County’s Gongliao Township (貢寮) are worried about the possible ecological impact of a plan to take over wetlands in Tianliaoyang Village (田寮洋) and turn the area into a housing complex.
According to a plan initiated by the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) in March, a total of 688.5 hectares of land in Gongliao would be expropriated to sell to major corporations to build hotels or housing complexes.
The plan states that the entire development project would be completed in 2013.
As the area covers farmland, wetlands and the habitats of rare bird species, locals are worried that it could lead to ecological destruction.
A woman surnamed Lin (林), a native of Gongliao and a member of the local bird-watching organization, said she is worried about the project because Tianliaoyang is an important wetland in Taipei County and a stopover location for migrating birds flying north and south.
IRONIC
She said the government plans are ironic since it had asked local farmers to temporarily stop farming activities in 2003 when a rare red-crowned crane was spotted in the area.
Another resident, also surnamed Lin (林), said the majority of locals do not know that most flat farmland is to be expropriated and turned into hotels, housing complexes or commercial zones.
Other Gongliao residents pointed out that Tianliaoyang has become wetland because it is in an area that lies lower than the village. As a result, Tianliaoyang helps to adjust water levels in the rainy season and prevents Gongliao from being flooded.
The villagers worry that construction in Tianliaoyang may affect the natural balance of the water level and cause flooding in Gongliao.
Northeast and Yilan Coast National Scenic Area Management Office official Lee Chia-pin (李嘉斌) said that, though the urban planning project has been publicized, the details are still being finalized.
He suggested that the Ministry of the Interior’s Construction and Planning Agency conduct further research before making a decision on the plan.
HEARINGS
Acting Gongliao Township mayor Chang Pen-hsien (張本賢) agreed, calling on relevant government agencies to hold public hearings to provide local residents with more information about the plan.
Contradicting Lee’s comments, Deputy Minister of the Interior Lin Tsyr-ling (林慈玲) said that nothing has been finalized to date.
“We’re only reviewing the urban planning project and nothing has been settled yet. Before we make any decision on it, there cannot possibly be any land expropriations,” Lin Tsyr-ling said.
“In fact, the intention behind the project is to lift the ban on construction because the area has been designated as a natural reserve,” she said.
“With the ban, locals are not allowed to even repair their houses, which has caused many problems,” Lin Tsyr-ling said.
Taiwan is projected to lose a working-age population of about 6.67 million people in two waves of retirement in the coming years, as the nation confronts accelerating demographic decline and a shortage of younger workers to take their place, the Ministry of the Interior said. Taiwan experienced its largest baby boom between 1958 and 1966, when the population grew by 3.78 million, followed by a second surge of 2.89 million between 1976 and 1982, ministry data showed. In 2023, the first of those baby boom generations — those born in the late 1950s and early 1960s — began to enter retirement, triggering
ECONOMIC BOOST: Should the more than 23 million people eligible for the NT$10,000 handouts spend them the same way as in 2023, GDP could rise 0.5 percent, an official said Universal cash handouts of NT$10,000 (US$330) are to be disbursed late next month at the earliest — including to permanent residents and foreign residents married to Taiwanese — pending legislative approval, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. The Executive Yuan yesterday approved the Special Act for Strengthening Economic, Social and National Security Resilience in Response to International Circumstances (因應國際情勢強化經濟社會及民生國安韌性特別條例). The NT$550 billion special budget includes NT$236 billion for the cash handouts, plus an additional NT$20 billion set aside as reserve funds, expected to be used to support industries. Handouts might begin one month after the bill is promulgated and would be completed within
The National Development Council (NDC) yesterday unveiled details of new regulations that ease restrictions on foreigners working or living in Taiwan, as part of a bid to attract skilled workers from abroad. The regulations, which could go into effect in the first quarter of next year, stem from amendments to the Act for the Recruitment and Employment of Foreign Professionals (外國專業人才延攬及僱用法) passed by lawmakers on Aug. 29. Students categorized as “overseas compatriots” would be allowed to stay and work in Taiwan in the two years after their graduation without obtaining additional permits, doing away with the evaluation process that is currently required,
RELEASED: Ko emerged from a courthouse before about 700 supporters, describing his year in custody as a period of ‘suffering’ and vowed to ‘not surrender’ Former Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) chairman Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) was released on NT$70 million (US$2.29 million) bail yesterday, bringing an end to his year-long incommunicado detention as he awaits trial on corruption charges. Under the conditions set by the Taipei District Court on Friday, Ko must remain at a registered address, wear a GPS-enabled ankle monitor and is prohibited from leaving the country. He is also barred from contacting codefendants or witnesses. After Ko’s wife, Peggy Chen (陳佩琪), posted bail, Ko was transported from the Taipei Detention Center to the Taipei District Court at 12:20pm, where he was fitted with the tracking
RSS