Driving towards Puli (
"Look at Chiuchiu Mountain in the distance -- it's stripped bare," he added.
The once-scenic peak in Nantou County stood against the blue sky with its bare brown slopes forming an almost-alien landscape in terrain where trees remain green throughout the year.
The quake killed not only thousands of Taiwanese, but destroyed many tourist sites in central Taiwan -- the island's scenic heartland -- further jeopardizing the lives of survivors in areas hit hardest by the quake as they struggle to restore order to their shattered lives, analysts have said.
Economist Chen Po-chih (
"In the past, tourism was a key industry in Nantou County. Although many people have been advised not to go on tourist trips to Nantou Country after the quake, I have a different view," Chen said.
He said sightseeing is still vital to Nantou, albeit voyeuristic in nature, taking into account the dramatic visual changes the quake has brought.
"Special trips could be arranged for people [from outside the disaster areas] to experience [what quake victims have felt], for example, living in a tent. And locals can grasp this opportunity to resume some businesses that ground to halt because of the earthquake by selling things to outsiders," he said.
"It's a way to ensure the livelihood of some people in the disaster areas -- at least in the short run," he said.
Chung Chia-pin (
Chung said while the government offered preferential housing loans for quake victims to purchase new homes, such an offer can only partially mitigate population outflows from disaster areas.
"[The government] must also make sure that profitable sectors in disaster areas can continue to grow, producing job opportunities for locals," he said.
Tseng Chu-wei (曾巨威), professor of public finance at National Chengchi University, said while reasonable distribution of resources is the key to reconstruction, "the government should enhance its capability so as to attend to the demands and considerations of locals to serve as a basis for reconstruction."
Chen said the government should work with local communities to identify sectors that conform to local characteristics, and then offer special assistance to foster these developments.
Chen cited the tourism business as an example. "In the case of Puli, where a group of people have engaged in community renaissance activities [during the past few years], the government and locals may identify this feature of the township and decide to develop the town into a center for artists," he said.
"Then the government should offer incentives to artists island-wide to encourage them to sell their works here," he said.
If the tea industry is identified as a profitable sector in Luku(
"In areas severely hit by the quake, some victims found themselves unable to make both ends meet, and many old business sectors were destroyed, and cannot be restored.
"Many naturally want to leave. So it is necessary to foster the development of new sectors that could conform to diverse local characteristics to help rebuild these places," he said.
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
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘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