Environmental groups yesterday accused the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) of rushing to approve construction of the Suhua Freeway to woo voters in the run-up to the presidential election on March 22.
"It is regrettable that the EPA has stooped so low as to turn itself into a rubber stamp [for the administration]," Society of Wilderness' Tony Chou (
Chou said that with the freeway being passed under the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, brownie points from Hualien could be earned.
The pan-blue camp could also get a share of the credit since the main advocate for the freeway is Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Hualien Legislator Fu Kun-chi (
"However, both presidential candidates have maintained an ambiguous position on the issue to retain voters who oppose the freeway," Green Party Taiwan Secretary-General Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲) said.
A gathering of some 20 environmental groups yesterday presented "gifts" -- a piece of mochi for KMT presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (
One of the environmental activists said the mochi -- a Hualien sticky rice specialty dessert -- was representative of Ma," a softy who failed to keep Fu under control."
As for the guava for Hsieh, it was a Mandarin pun on his failure to keep his promise of sustainable development for east Taiwan and to "remove himself from President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) influence."
Meanwhile, EPA Deputy Minister Chang Tzi-chin (
"Everything that took place in the meeting proceeded in accordance with the guidelines," he said.
He also rebutted comments that the agency had proposed dividing the freeway into sections to facilitate their review and approval.
"The suggestion that the section of the freeway that runs through mountain areas be built first [and plains later] was proposed in earlier case committee meetings," he said.
"We mentioned the proposal again yesterday as a courtesy to some members who joined the discussion for the first time," he added.
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
CHANGES: After-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during vacations or after-school study periods must not be used to teach new material, the ministry said The Ministry of Education yesterday announced new rules that would ban giving tests to most elementary and junior-high school students during morning study and afternoon rest periods. The amendments to regulations governing public education at elementary schools and junior high schools are to be implemented on Aug. 1. The revised rules stipulate that schools are forbidden to use after-school tutoring periods, extracurricular activities during summer or winter vacation or after-school study periods to teach new course material. In addition, schools would be prohibited from giving tests or exams to students in grades one to eight during morning study and afternoon break periods, the
AMENDMENT: Contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau must be reported, and failure to comply could result in a prison sentence, the proposal stated The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) yesterday voted against a proposed bill by Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers that would require elected officials to seek approval before visiting China. DPP Legislator Puma Shen’s (沈伯洋) proposed amendments to the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例), stipulate that contact with certain individuals in China, Hong Kong and Macau should be reported, while failure to comply would be punishable by prison sentences of up to three years, alongside a fine of NT$10 million (US$309,041). Fifty-six voted with the TPP in opposition