Politicians, scholars and religious leaders lambasted a suggestion by a Cabinet member to allow the establishment of casinos on Taiwan's offshore islands.
They have called the proposed policy contradictory to the government's aim of cracking down on crime, citing inextricable links between gambling and criminal activity.
"Gambling is a key source of crime. It brings about depravity and exhausts one's wealth. A responsible government should not be so shortsighted ... I think [the government] is being degenerate when it seeks to make use of this proposal as a bait to lure Chinese tourists," Buddhist Master Shih Chao-hui (
Master Chao-hui was referring specifically to a proposal made on Dec. 27 by Lin Chia-cheng (林嘉誠), chairman of the Cabinet's Research, Development and Evaluation Commission (研考會). Lin suggested building casinos on Kinmen and Matsu in order to stimulate local business and restore residents' confidence in the "small three links" scheme, which is suffering numerous setbacks because of China's unwillingness to support the initiative.
Other attending religious leaders, including Lu Chunyi (
They warned that legalized gambling would set a bad example for teenagers and would erode social values.
Lin Duan (
"The [gambling] business only requires professionals in that field, so it is not possible for the scheme to create more job opportunities for local residents -- who are mainly farmers and fishermen," Lin said.
"In a bid to put a halt to the exodus of local residents, the government should map out a long-term plan to promote development from different aspects, such as establishing colleges so local youngsters do not have to leave [the islands] for higher education. It is an unrealistic idea to think that setting up casinos would keep the locals from emigrating."
Lin went on to point out that the only group to benefit from the proposal would be the capitalists and politicians who control the majority of property there, and that the ordinary people would get very limited benefits.
KMT Legislator Chen Horng-chi (
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
WARFARE: All sectors of society should recognize, unite, and collectively resist and condemn Beijing’s cross-border suppression, MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng said The number of Taiwanese detained because of legal affairs by Chinese authorities has tripled this year, as Beijing intensified its intimidation and division of Taiwanese by combining lawfare and cognitive warfare, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. MAC Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) made the statement in response to questions by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈柏洋) about the government’s response to counter Chinese public opinion warfare, lawfare and psychological warfare. Shen said he is also being investigated by China for promoting “Taiwanese independence.” He was referring to a report published on Tuesday last week by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency,
‘ADDITIONAL CONDITION’: Taiwan will work with like-minded countries to protect its right to participate in next year’s meeting, the foreign ministry said The US will “continue to press China for security arrangements and protocols that safeguard all participants when attending APEC meetings in China,” a US Department of State spokesperson said yesterday, after Beijing suggested that members must adhere to its “one China principle” to participate. “The United States insists on the full and equal participation of all APEC member economies — including Taiwan — consistent with APEC’s guidelines, rules and established practice, as affirmed by China in its offer to host in 2026,” the unnamed spokesperson said in response to media queries about China putting a “one China” principle condition on Taiwan’s
RSS