Legislators across party lines sought yesterday to push for new legislation to protect the environment.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Chiu Wen-yen (邱文彥), Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) and People First Party Legislator Chang Show-foong (張曉風) called for cross-party cooperation on legislation to protect local wetlands and coastlines.
On Feb. 2, World Wetlands Day, the three legislators held a joint public hearing to press for the protection of a wetland area near Wugoushui Village (五溝水), in Pingtung County’s Wanluan Township (萬巒).
Photo: CNA
The county government has proposed building anti-flood works near the village, a move that is considered likely to damage the eco-system of an area that is rich in springs and rare fish species.
Chiu, a former Environmental Protection Administration deputy minister, said it is essential that local fishermen are better informed about coastline reserves.
“We have to make sure they are aware that setting up a coastline reserve is not the same thing as limiting fishing,” Chiu said. “Instead, setting up a reserve to protect the coastline, where the ecosystem is particularly fragile, facilitates the cultivation of fishery resources.”
Similarly, pushing for new legislation to protect the country’s wetlands is aimed at ensuring sustainable development, Chiu added.
Legislation to protect the wetlands ensures that development projects in such areas strictly adhere to standard procedures, he said. It also has the added benefit of providing guidance on how to conduct research into wetlands and educating the public on how best to protect them, he said.
Chang, a writer and prominent environmental activist, said one of her major goals as a legislator is to push for the passage of bills that protect the nation’s coastlines and wetlands.
Having made a name for herself as a result of her opposition to the building of a biotech research center on wetlands in Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) in 2010, Chang has said she would like to work with legislators from other parties.
Meanwhile, Tien stressed the need for more communication with fishermen’s associations, in the light of an expected backlash from such groups over the designation of coastline reserve areas.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
RSS