An alliance composed of community colleges, social organizations and residents of New Taipei City’s (新北市) Linkou District (林口) yesterday launched a petition against the city’s plan to set up an athletes’ village at Linkou Athletic Park, saying it could damage the ecosystem.
The Taipei City Government in December won the right to host the 2017 Summer Universiade. It said it decided to use the Linkou Athletic Park after discussions with the New Taipei City Government.
However, according to Chang Fan (張璠), an official with New Taipei City’s Urban and Rural Development Department, the Linkou Athletic Park belongs to the central government and the city government does not have the last say in how it is used.
Photo: Tsai Pai-ling, Taipei Times
The New Taipei City Government will definitely side with the residents and convey their wishes to the central government, Chang said, adding that the construction plans for the athletes’ village have not yet been determined and it would try to create a “win-win” situation for both residents and the central government.
Wang Chen-nai (王貞乃), a member of the alliance named the “Referendum to Save the Park Alliance,” said the planned athletes’ village is a large-scale development project, but the process for selecting the site or plans for construction have not been made transparent.
It has even misled people into thinking that construction of the athletes’ village would pose minimal damage to the surrounding natural environment, Wang said.
Wang said the petition has so far received 4,000 signatures. Once it has gathered 10,000 signatures, the group would forward the petition to the New Taipei City Government and it is hoped to immediately halt the development of the athletes’ village.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff writer
GENSLER SURVEY: ‘Economic infrastructure is not enough. A city needs to inspire pride, offer moments of joy and foster a sense of belonging,’ the company said Taipei was named the city with the “highest staying power” in the world by US-based design and architecture firm Gensler. The Taiwanese capital earned the top spot among 65 cities across six continents with 64 percent of Taipei respondents in a survey of 33,000 people saying they wanted to stay in the city. Rounding out the top five were Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City (61 percent), Singapore (59 percent), Sydney (58 percent) and Berlin (51 percent). Sixth to 10th place went to Monterrey, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Vancouver; and Seoul. Cities in the US were ranked separately, with Minneapolis first at
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
RSS