Teachers, soldiers and public servants in Penghu County were the most opposed to the casino plan for the island county, a recent public opinion poll showed.
The Penghu County Government has advocated building casino resorts in the county after the Legislative Yuan adopted amendments to the Offshore Islands Development Act (離島建設條例) in January that would allow casinos on the nation’s outlying islands.
However, a poll conducted by Toko University’s Department of Travel Management showed that county residents who work in the public sector are worried about the negative impact of the casinos.
The survey showed that 43.4 percent of soldiers, public servants and teachers opposed the casino plan, while 71.3 percent of workers were for it, department of travel management chair Wang Yi-chuan (王義川) said.
Overall, 60 percent of respondents supported casinos, while 36 percent were against them.
Aside from employees in the public sector, a high percentage of retirees from the public sector also opposed the casinos, he said.
Looking into the causes of the difference in opinion, Wang said that with a declining fishing industry and agriculture, many laborers or farmers hoped casinos would create more jobs and encourage youths to return to Penghu.
For their part, public servants were concerned about the negative impact that large casino resorts and tourists would have on social security and the ecosystem.
The situation could be observed at the 37 town hall meetings held across the county earlier this year.
The county government’s casino plan was welcomed in rural areas, but met strong criticism in Magong City (馬公), the seat of the county government and the largest city in Penghu. It is also the city with the greatest number of soldiers, public servants and teachers.
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday thanked Palau for its continued support of Taiwan's international participation, as Taipei was once again excluded from the World Health Assembly (WHA) currently taking place in Switzerland. "Palau has never stopped voicing support for Taiwan" in the UN General Assembly, the WHO and other UN-affiliated agencies, Lai said during a bilateral meeting with visiting Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. "We have been profoundly touched by these endorsements," Lai said, praising the Pacific island nation's firm support as "courageous." Lai's remarks came as Taiwan was excluded for the ninth consecutive year from the WHA, which is being held in
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS