In an apparent move to alleviate the concerns of Aborigines, farming, logging and land development on mountainous areas higher than 1,500m will be banned, except for those in Aboriginal settlements, according to a special bill on land conservation approved by the Executive Yuan yesterday.
Four state-run farms located on mountainous areas would have to go fallow within three years.
Under the special draft bill on land restoration and conservation (
Category one areas are those higher than 1,500m, where farming, logging and land development will be banned.
Farmland must be allowed to go fallow and existing buildings or facilities will have to be demolished within five to 15 years.
Certain exceptions will be allowed, however. These include Aboriginal settlements with more than 30 families, facilities for conservation, study or tourism, Aboriginal historical relics, defense facilities and public facilities.
Category two would cover mountainous areas between 500m and 1,500m. New farming or new developments will be banned, but existing legal operators will be allowed to remain.
Category three areas include mountainous areas lower than 500m. Any land developments must be based on sustainable development and local governments are required to regularly review their development policies and obtain permission from the central government for developing land.
The draft also recommends spending NT$100 billion over the next 10 years on land restoration projects.
The fund would help Aboriginal settlements that are willing to relocate in a group. The draft stipulates that the central government should find a new place for them to live and help them with employment, education and preserving their traditions and culture.
While some have argued that the bill will jeopardize the livelihoods of Aboriginal people, Chang Ching-sen (
"Statistics show that 99 percent of Aborigines live in mountainous areas lower than 1,500m," he said.
Chang also dismissed talk that compromises had been made during the drafting process.
"There's no compromise. I'd rather call it negotiation, if anything," he said. "Some might have the wrong impression that the bill is not welcomed by the Aboriginal people. Apparently, they've been misled by certain political parties and false media reports."
If the bill passes the legislature, Chang made it clear that the government will not send any more money to fix the damaged section of the Central Cross-Island Highway because of its fragile geology.
Chang, however, said the government will continue to push for construction of a freeway connecting Ilan and Hualien. The project has been criticized by environmental groups as being damaging to the environment.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS