Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and several ministry officials yesterday inspected Taijiang National Park (台江國家公園) a day ahead of its inauguration.
The park covers 4,905 hectares of coastal land in Tainan City and Tainan County and 34,405 hectares of sea. It features tidal flats, sandbanks and wetlands that are habitat for diverse flora and fauna, including mangrove forests and the endangered black-faced spoonbill.
“Taijiang National Park is the country’s eighth national park and its creation carries very special meaning,” Jiang said outside of a wildlife observation deck inside the national park. “This national park tries to preserve not only the landscape, but also the wildlife, the historic relics and the traditional economic activities here.”
It also includes the place where the Chinese military commander Koxinga (鄭成功)anded in his successful campaign to defeat the Dutch, who occupied parts of southern Taiwan in the 17th century.
Although Koxinga swore allegiance to the Ming Dynasty after it was overthrown by the Qing Dynasty, he created his own de facto independent kingdom in Tainan and established the first Han Chinese settlements in Taiwan.
In addition to its natural and historic values, Jiang said the traditional economic activities in the area, mainly fish farms and salt fields, were also to be protected by the national park administration.
“Contrary to most other national parks that aim to reduce human activities within, we specifically designated zones inside the national park in which traditional economic activities would be allowed and even encouraged,” Taijiang National Park Headquarters director Leu Teng-yuan (呂登元) said. “We will also help the people to sell their products.”
Although most parts of Jiang’s inspection tour went smoothly, an unexpected snag in the proceedings occurred when officials were on a boat tour on one of the lagoons in the park.
Tainan City Mangroves Protection Association Chief Executive Director Lee Chin-tien (李進添), who served as a guide during the boat trip, complained about the government’s decision to sign an economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA) when showing local fishing techniques.
“Fishing nets made in Taiwan cost about NT$3,000 each, but guess how much one made in China would cost? It’s less than NT$400,” Lee said. “I don’t understand why the government wants to sign an ECFA with China.”
“We should sign a trade agreement with a country where we can sell a NT$10 product for NT$11 there,” he said.
Jiang and other ministry officials smiled as Lee talked, but did not respond.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
RSS