Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) yesterday invited the public to visit the areas that were devastated by Typhoon Morakot two years ago, saying that the government has completed its reconstruction of the infrastructure of the disaster-stricken zones.
To facilitate travel and enhance the experience of the visitors, the Tourism Bureau has also published a brochure introducing 23 travel routes in cities and counties that suffered heavy damage at the hands of Morakot, including Nantou, Yunlin, Chiayi, Greater Tainan, Greater Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung.
The premier said that the government has invested approximately NT$138.5 billion (US$4.5 billion) in rebuilding the infrastructure of the disaster zones.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
Private institutions, such as the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu-Chi Foundation, have also contributed to the reconstruction efforts by donating NT$25.1 billion.
“Places such as Dongpu (東埔) in Nantou County, Gukeng (古坑) in Yunlin County, Alishan in Chiayi County, Nemasia (那瑪夏) in Greater Kaohsiung and Linbian (林邊) in Pingtung County no longer look like disaster zones. They look brand new,” Wu said.
Among the 23 travel routes mentioned in the brochure, 17 of them are located in the tribal regions of the nation’s Aborigines.
Council of Indigenous Peoples Deputy Minister Obay Ataw Hayawan said that more people have become interested in learning about Aboriginal culture since the release of the movie Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale.
The movie and the travel routes will help bring more tourists back to these typhoon-hit areas, he added.
Aboriginal musician Biung Biung Wang (王宏恩), who won the Golden Melody Award in 2002 and 2005, invited the public to visit the disaster-stricken zones, adding that the areas look very different now.
“We are ready,” Wang said. “What are you waiting for?”
The Tourism Bureau has prepared 300,000 copies of the brochure, which can be picked up at visitor information centers and railway stations.
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