Suhua freeway plan should proceed after referendum: official

The decision on whether to build the Suhua Freeway, planned to connect Hualien (花蓮) and Ilan (宜蘭), should be made according to local consensus, Hualien County councilor Lin Yu-chi (林有志) said yesterday.

Lin's came after both Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) and his Chinese National Party (KMT) rival Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) failed to address the controversial topic with a clear position during the first debate on Sunday, he said.

He also said that the construction should be put to a referendum.

Though Hsieh and Ma voiced their opinions and views on the much-debated freeway, no concrete statements as to whether they were in favor of its construction were made, Lin said.

The referendum should be the ultimate proof of the attitude the people of Hualien hold about the construction of the road, he said.

He also said the referendum would put an end to the doubts environmental groups have about the validity of the 80-percent support rate that a survey by the county government produced.

A call for a referendum had been proposed twice in the past two council assemblies, however neither attempt resulted in a vote, he said, adding that a decision to host the referendum should be made as soon as possible.