Delegates attending a financial panel yesterday engaged in heated discussion over how to dispose of state-owned land, with environmentalists pulling out all stops urging the reversal of decisions made at preparatory meetings.
Chen Man-li (
She said that state land, which belongs to the public, must not be used by government to facilitate private business development.
Her suggestion resulted in related decisions being put on hold until government agencies have the time to conduct further studies.
Sam Lin (林聖崇), head of the Ecology Conservation Alliance, urged the government to immediately cease the auctioning off or renting out of state land and suggested that the land be allocated to local governments for the establishment of national parks.
For example, parcels of land totaling 58,000 hectares owned by state-run Taiwan Sugar Corp should be retrieved for ecological purposes, he said.
His view was praised by former premier Vincent Siew (蕭萬長), who chaired the meeting.
However, considering the nation's widening deficit, Siew said it might be a long time before Lin's suggestion came true, but he instructed the environmentalist's opinion to be listed in the meeting record for the Cabinet's evaluation.
Several delegates also urged a review of the build-operate-transfer (BOT) mechanisms to prevent scandals.
Wen Ping-yuan (溫炳原), secretary-general of the Green Party Taiwan, said the company who won the bid to develop the Beitou cable car project in Taipei was expected to garner a whopping NT$9 billion (US$275 million) in 30-year revenues, but the land rental would cost only NT$200 million, raising doubts of collusion with the government unit in charge of the project.
Lo Chih-ming (羅志明), secretary-general of the Taiwan Solidarity Union, echoed his views, saying that the controversial electronic toll collection project was one example of the flawed BOT mechanism.
The conference concluded that public infrastructure projects valued at over NT$1 billion should be carefully reviewed with government units assessing internal and external cost-benefit analyses. A professional and fair selection mechanism should be established to encourage the participation of private firms.
As for the controversy surrounding taxation on warrants, the conference concluded that the Cabinet should discuss the issue with the Ministry of Finance and settle it as soon as possible. Warrants are certificates that give the bearer the right to buy securities, gold or other commodities at a stated price for a stated period or at any time in the future.
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
The Chinese military has built landing bridge ships designed to expand its amphibious options for a potential assault on Taiwan, but their combat effectiveness is limited due to their high vulnerability, a defense expert said in an analysis published on Monday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said that the deployment of such vessels as part of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy’s East Sea Fleet signals a strong focus on Taiwan. However, the ships are highly vulnerable to precision strikes, which means they could be destroyed before they achieve their intended
About 4.2 million tourist arrivals were recorded in the first half of this year, a 10 percent increase from the same period last year, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. The growth continues to be consistent, with the fourth quarter of this year expected to be the peak in Taiwan, the agency said, adding that it plans to promote Taiwan overseas via partnerships and major events. From January to June, 9.14 million international departures were recorded from Taiwan, an 11 percent increase from the same period last year, with 3.3 million headed for Japan, 1.52 million for China and 832,962 to South Korea,
REWRITING HISTORY: China has been advocating a ‘correct’ interpretation of the victory over Japan that brings the CCP’s contributions to the forefront, an expert said An elderly Chinese war veteran’s shin still bears the mark of a bullet wound he sustained when fighting the Japanese as a teenager, a year before the end of World War II. Eighty years on, Li Jinshui’s scar remains as testimony to the bravery of Chinese troops in a conflict that killed millions of their people. However, the story behind China’s overthrow of the brutal Japanese occupation is deeply contested. Historians broadly agree that credit for victory lies primarily with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT)-led Republic of China (ROC) Army. Its leader, Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石), fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a
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