The Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation yesterday announced that it would retract its proposed development plan to set up a logistics center and workshops for disaster relief in a geologically sensitive protected area in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖), while saying that it would make public all records about donations by its followers and how the money is spent.
Tzu Chi deputy chief executive Wang Tuan-cheng (王端正) told a news conference in Hualien that the foundation is “deeply unnerved” by the controversy sparked by the development plan and would retract its proposal to rezone a 4.4 hectare plot until society could reach a consensus on the issue.
Environmentalists say that the proposed site is located on a former pond which the foundation illegally reclaimed, increasing the chances of flooding in nearby farmland.
Photo: CNA
In addition, potential dip slopes are present in the area, which could lead to landslides, they say.
To promote environmental protection, Tzu Chi would cooperate with the Taipei City Government and seek advice on how to care for the protected area, Wang said.
Furthermore, Tzu Chi would restructure itself by inviting reputable individuals to serve as members of its board of directors to monitor and improve the foundation’s operations, he said.
Foundation deputy chief executive Lin Pi-yu (林碧玉) said Tzu Chi would make information about donations available online from Friday, while expenditure would be made public starting from Wednesday next week.
Lin made the announcement after media personalities Clara Chou (周玉蔻) and Jimmy Wang (汪潔民) last week accused Tzu Chi of pocketing donations, including a NT$1.5 billion (US$47.1 million) sum from its emergency reserve to purchase real estate.
Stock analyst Huang Shih-tsung (黃世聰) alleged that the foundation misappropriated funds it acquired for disaster relief to purchase bonds and stock.
Environmental activists criticized Tzu Chi’s announcement.
Treasure Our Land, Taiwan secretary-general Lin Tzu-lin (林子淩) said Tzu Chi is trying to buy time to gather the opinions of those who are in favor of the project and that it still intends to develop the protected area.
“What is the point in vowing to publish its accounts when there is so much confusion about its past dealings? Besides, it failed to respond to accusations it bought stock using donations,” Lin said.
In a press release, Taipei Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) expressed his thanks to Tzu Chi for proactively resolving years of controversy surrounding the development proposal.
He said the city government would send the withdrawal documents to the Taipei Urban Planning Commission as soon as they were received, expressing his hope that the land could become part of a gradual restoration of the ecology of Dahu (大湖).
Additional reporting by Abraham Gerber
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
RSS