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.
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
RSS