Environmental groups yesterday criticized the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) for its reluctance to pursue criminal cases against industrial polluters accused of dumping toxic mercury-tainted waste in Pingtung County.
Last Friday, long-term negotiations between the Pingtung County Government and Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑) resulted in an agreement between both sides to share the costs of cleaning up an illegal waste dump in Hsinyuan (新園) township, where significant amounts of toxic mercury-tainted sludge was discovered in 1999. The agency also signed on to the NT$240 million cleanup-project agreement as a party.
The government agrees to pay NT$90 million, while Formosa pays the remaining NT$150 million.
Legislators and environmentalists yesterday criticized the EPA for its lack of courage in tackling influential companies.
"The EPA should have not made the notorious pollution event a precedent to be followed by other industrial polluters," Green Formosa Front chairman Wu Tung-jye (
The waste was secretly dumped by a bogus waste handler, Yuntai, that contracted with Formosa. Since February 2000, the Pingtung County Government has intended to carry out an administrative disciplinary action for Formosa, which refused to obey and filed a lawsuit against the local authority. Formosa, since then, had declined to confirm its relationship with the waste.
In 2001, the Control Yuan concluded that the waste was originally generated by Formosa, and censured related bodies, including the EPA and local governments.
To save administrative cost, the Kaohsiung High Administrative Court had encouraged the parties to come to an arrangement.
Eric Liou (
"The EPA's behavior shows the lack of environmental justice and the government's dignity," Liou said.
Liou argued that the EPA should punish related parties according to the Soil and Ground-water Pollution Remediation Act (土壤及地下水污染整治法) without spending a cent.
Legislators said that Formosa Group chairman Wang Yung-ching (
"At this moment, we'd like to see Formosa's corporate responsibility from Wang," DPP Legislator Eugene Jao (
Jao said that the Legislative Yuan would do its best to freeze budgets pertaining to the cleanup project.
In 1998, Formosa shipped 2,700 tonnes of toxic waste to Cambodia which was improperly discarded.
In 1999, backing down to international pressure, Formosa shipped the waste -- along with 1,900 tonnes of soil it had contaminated in Cambodia -- back to Taiwan.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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