The Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) has demanded an immediate explanation from Robin Winkler, a member serving on the EPA's Environmental Impact Assessment Committee, who it said made slanderous remarks against the administration.
The administration asked Winkler to elaborate on his comments quoted in Tuesday's edition of the Chinese-language United Evening News, in which he said the administration had done their best to cooperate with the Executive Yuan and viewed corporations as its partners.
He was quoted as saying that the administration viewed committee members as enemies.
The administration said that Winkler's comment was untrue and damaged its reputation. It vowed to seek legal action if Winkler did not clarify his statement.
In response, Winkler said yesterday he welcomed the chance to meet EPA Minister Chang Kow-lung (
He said he believed, however, that the conflict had been caused by the media, who were exploiting the situation.
He said the EPA's legal committee had repeatedly adopted interpretations disadvantageous to the environment.
"Just as the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Transportation and Communications are not neutral in what they stand for, the EPA should not be neutral in executing the Basic Environmental Law (
He said the EPA often wanted cases pushed through quickly so that its performance would be evaluated favorably by the Executive Yuan.
Tsai Lin-yi (蔡玲儀), a section chief at the EPA's planning division, said the EPA must follow government regulations.
"He wants to be a hero and I am fine with it," she said. "But he really should not attack the administration."
The first two F-16V Bock 70 jets purchased from the US are expected to arrive in Taiwan around Double Ten National Day, which is on Oct. 10, a military source said yesterday. Of the 66 F-16V Block 70 jets purchased from the US, the first completed production in March, the source said, adding that since then three jets have been produced per month. Although there were reports of engine defects, the issue has been resolved, they said. After the jets arrive in Taiwan, they must first pass testing by the air force before they would officially become Taiwan’s property, they said. The air force
GLOBAL: Although Matsu has limited capacity for large numbers of domestic tourists, it would be a great high-end destination for international travelers, an official said Lienchiang County’s (Matsu) unique landscape and Cold War history give it great potential to be marketed as a destination for international travelers, Tourism Administration Director General Chen Yu-hsiu (陳玉秀) said at the weekend. Tourism officials traveled to the outlying island for the Matsu Biennial, an art festival that started on Friday to celebrate Matsu’s culture, history and landscape. Travelers to Matsu, which lies about 190km northwest of Taipei, must fly or take the state-run New Taima passenger ship. However, flights are often canceled during fog season from April to June. Chen spoke about her vision to promote Matsu as a tourist attraction in
PAWSITIVE IMPACT: A shop owner said that while he adopted cats to take care of rodents, they have also attracted younger visitors who also buy his dried goods In Taipei’s Dadaocheng (大稻埕), cats lounging in shops along Dihua Street do more than nap amid the scent of dried seafood. Many have become beloved fixtures who double as photography models, attracting visitors and helping boost sales in one of the capital’s most historic quarters. A recent photo contest featuring more than a dozen shop cats drew more than 2,200 submissions, turning everyday cat-spotting into a friendly competition that attracted amateur and professional photographers. “It’s rare to see cats standing, so when it suddenly did, it felt like a lucky cat,” said Sabrina Hsu (徐淳蔚), who won the NT$10,000 top prize in
STRIKE: Some travel agencies in Taiwan said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group tours to the country were proceeding as planned A planned strike by airport personnel in South Korea has not affected group tours to the country from Taiwan, travel agencies said yesterday. They added that they were closely monitoring the situation. Personnel at 15 airports, including Seoul’s Incheon and Gimpo airports, are to go on strike. They announced at a news conference on Tuesday that the strike would begin on Friday next week and continue until the Mid-Autumn Festival next month. Some travel agencies in Taiwan, including Cola Tour, Lion Travel, SET Tour and ezTravel, said that they were aware of the situation in South Korea, and that group
RSS