If the possibility of opening up Penghu for gambling was just a simple yes or no question, the answer would probably be yes. But it's not.
Opening up this archipelagic county off Taiwan's western shore to dice, cards and one armed bandits is a lot more complex than just changing a few laws.
If Mr Wang (
"It would bring a lot more tourists here and promote our local economy," he said during a lunch break after helping a group of tourists stock up on cartons of snacks.
Wang runs a shop on Makung's busiest street, Chungcheng Road (
But when asked to comment about the possibility of a proposed large-scale resort complex being built some 20-minutes away from Makung, Wang's enthusiasm began to wane.
"Will they take away every business opportunity, both big and small? If so, that's not good," he said.
The introduction of casinos to special areas, especially Taiwan's offshore islands, has become a matter of feverish public debate.
The interest in the idea was ratcheted up after Minister of the Interior Chang Po-ya (張博雅) revealed to lawmakers on March 7 that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) supported the idea. Chen's denial the following day that he had yet to decide on the issue has failed to quell the uproar.
Economic Interests
While the president and Cabinet's response to Chang's apparent slip of the tongue has been vague, most politicians and important public figures on Penghu support the idea of setting up casinos on the island. Both of the county's two legislators, and 18 out of 19 county councilors -- including the speaker and vice speaker -- all support the plan.
"The major reason casinos were proposed is due to the exodus of the island's population," said County Council Vice Speaker Yen Chung-ching (
According to the county's latest statistics, the population of the 64-isle, 126.86km2 county has been falling almost continuously during the past decade, dropping from 95,932 in late 1990 to 89,013 at the end of 1999. The report states that the exodus of people constitutes the primary factor for the decrease in the population.
An even sharper drop during the same period was of the number of people in the fishery industry -- traditionally the main industry for the islands' inhabitants, from 24,630 to 20,279.
"Young people have to go to Taiwan [proper] because they can't find jobs here," he said.
People believe that the construction of the casinos would be a boost to the local economy and employment.
Advocates of casinos are quick to stress that the debate is about more than just gambling.
"Like Las Vegas, there have to be hotels, shopping malls, conference halls, performance halls, sea recreation facilities, restaurants, golf courses and so on, and gambling facilities are just a small part of the resort," Council Speaker Su Kun-hsiung (
"We are not changing Penghu into a big gambling place, the opponents must understand this," he said, "however, the casinos are the heart of the whole development plan. Without them, Penghu can't attract people to come and enjoy the islands' beauty."
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