Local residents and officials from Mailiao Township yesterday expressed their bewilderment at the interest Vice President Annette Lu (
"Is [Mailiao] very desolate? I heard that the sex industry flourishes at night. Where are those places exactly?" Lu asked township head Lin Shih-chung (
PHOTO: LI CHING-FANG
Lu was apparently questioning Lin's assertion that the deficiencies of public works in the area was a major problem. Lin said that he hoped the central government could help address the deficiencies. Lu responded with her off-color remarks about the township's sex industry.
Lu's comments reportedly stunned the officials accompanying her on her tour. However, Lu continued, saying the development of industrial zones in coastal areas had boosted the number of "outsiders" and "foreign laborers" had been boosted. This had nourished the growth of the sex industry, Lu said.
"Local officials here should not only prevent the inundation of water, but also the sex industry," Lu said, as she inspected several waterworks facilities in Mailiao.
Yesterday, local residents and officials said they were puzzled by what Lu said, and believed that she had exaggerated the situation.
"I suspected that Vice President Lu was misled by people using the wrong information," Lin said.
Yunlin is one of the areas most affected by land subsidence caused by the overuse of groundwater supplies in aquaculture. However, the situation has been mitigated since 1995, when both the Water Resources Agency and the Council of Agriculture drafted the Land Subsidence Prevention and Reclamation Plan.
The project designated affected areas and promoted various strategies such as promoting water conservation, limiting well-drilling and locating sources of surface water to meet water needs.
Kao Ruey-chy (
"Lu's remarks about the sex industry were only part of her concern for upgrading local industries in Yunlin. Certain local media agencies highlighted the issue intentionally," Kao said.
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