Dozens of Changhua County residents gathered yesterday at the Construction and Planning Agency (CPA) to protest the government's plan to build a science park in the county's Erlin (二林) Township.
The project to build a Central Taiwan Science Park in Erlin recently passed the fourth phase of environmental inspection by the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) panel.
Once the project completes a final round of assessment at the CPA, construction will start in Erlin, located in central Taiwan between Yunlin County and the Jhuoshuei River (濁水溪), one of the few remaining coastal areas in western Taiwan that have not been affected by industrialization.
PHOTO: CNA
The protesters, mostly workers in the fishing and farming industries, shouted that the “government has forgotten the farmers and fishermen.”
One of the protesters, surnamed Lin (林), said the residents felt helpless because they knew the government would not listen to their needs and that construction could begin in two weeks' time.
Over the past few months, the plan to introduce industries like optoelectronics and semiconductors in the park has run into strong opposition from the Yunlin and Changhua county governments, local residents, environmentalists and some EIA panelists.
Opponents say plans to discharge treated wastewater from the park into Jhuoshuei River would contaminate nearby farmland.
They also said the proposal's huge water demands could exacerbate severe subsidence problems in Erlin, which is already sinking by 8.4cm per year, the worst rate of subsidence in the nation.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
COMMITMENTS: The company had a relatively low renewable ratio at 56 percent and did not have any goal to achieve 100 percent renewable energy, the report said Pegatron Corp ranked the lowest among five major final assembly suppliers in progressing toward Apple Inc’s commitment to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2030, a Greenpeace East Asia report said yesterday. While Apple has set the goal of using 100 percent renewable energy across its entire business, supply chain and product lifecycle by 2030, carbon emissions from electronics manufacturing are rising globally due to increased energy consumption, it said. Given that carbon emissions from its supply chain accounted for more than half of its total emissions last year, Greenpeace East Asia evaluated the green transition performance of Apple’s five largest final
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS