Hsinchu County Commissioner Chiu Ching-chun (邱鏡淳) joined Sinpu Township (新埔) officials and scores of local residents at a rally yesterday to protest against pollution of the township’s water source. The protesters said a central government policy allows the industrial pollution of a river that supplies water to Sinpu for drinking and irrigation purposes.
Following the protest, Chiu, Sinpu Township Mayor Lai Chiang-hai (賴江海) and Sinpu Council Speaker Wang Tseng-chi (王增基) headed for Taipei, where they said they would petition the legislature and Control Yuan to “return justice to the local residents.”
The dispute revolves around two high-tech manufacturing companies that have for many years released industrial wastewater into Siaoli River (霄裡溪) in Sinpu, which is a catchment area.
At the rally in front of the Hsinchu County Government building, protesters wore headbands that read “Refuse to Drink Toxic Water” and shouted slogans, pledging their determination to stop Chunghwa Picture Tubes and AU Optronics Corp (AUO) from polluting their drinking water source.
On Monday, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Minister Stephen Shen (沈世宏) told lawmakers that if AUO could not find another wastewater disposal location by the end of the month, its plants would be shut down. However, Chiu said his administration on Tuesday received an official notice from the EPA declaring that the Siaoli River would no longer serve as a source of drinking water.
Instead of drawing water from the river, the EPA notice said, Hsinchu County residents should go upstream to where Siaoli and Fongshan rivers (鳳山溪) merge. The central government claimed its policy took into consideration “the needs of both the local community and industry,” Chiu said, citing the notice.
Chiu accused the central government of “legalizing a controversial measure” by permitting the two companies to keep polluting the Siaoli River, damaging the health of local residents and imposing on the right of farmers to irrigate their crops with clean water. Wang said some local farmers have complained that consumers have had doubts about crop safety since learning that the water in Siaoli River is being used for irrigation.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Hsin-ying (徐欣瑩), who represents an electoral district in the county, accused the EPA of “helping [industries] to play foul.”
In response, Shen said the EPA was acting “in accordance with the law,” since Siaoli River has not been designated as a source of drinking water after several rounds of environmental impact assessment meetings.
Shen added, however, that he would continue urging the two companies to reduce the volume of pollutants they discharge into the river.
Beijing could eventually see a full amphibious invasion of Taiwan as the only "prudent" way to bring about unification, the US Department of Defense said in a newly released annual report to Congress. The Pentagon's "Annual Report to Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China 2025," was in many ways similar to last year’s report but reorganized the analysis of the options China has to take over Taiwan. Generally, according to the report, Chinese leaders view the People's Liberation Army's (PLA) capabilities for a Taiwan campaign as improving, but they remain uncertain about its readiness to successfully seize
Taiwan is getting a day off on Christmas for the first time in 25 years. The change comes after opposition parties passed a law earlier this year to add or restore five public holidays, including Constitution Day, which falls on today, Dec. 25. The day marks the 1947 adoption of the constitution of the Republic of China, as the government in Taipei is formally known. Back then the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) governed China from Nanjing. When the KMT, now an opposition party in Taiwan, passed the legislation on holidays, it said that they would help “commemorate the history of national development.” That
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
Taiwan has overtaken South Korea this year in per capita income for the first time in 23 years, IMF data showed. Per capita income is a nation’s GDP divided by the total population, used to compare average wealth levels across countries. Taiwan also beat Japan this year on per capita income, after surpassing it for the first time last year, US magazine Newsweek reported yesterday. Across Asia, Taiwan ranked fourth for per capita income at US$37,827 this year due to sustained economic growth, the report said. In the top three spots were Singapore, Macau and Hong Kong, it said. South
RSS