Calling the building of a beachfront Miramar Resort at Taitung County’s Shanyuan Bay (杉原灣) the most ridiculous hotel in the nation’s history, artists yesterday said that a music festival against the construction will be held at the beach on July 28.
Several artists gathered in Taipei to announce their support for and voluntary participation in a music festival against the Miramar Resort and in support of protecting the natural eastern coastline.
Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan, the organizer of the event, said the High Administrative Court had ruled the resort’s construction permit was invalid in 2010 and the Supreme Administrative Court reached a verdict ruling its environmental impact assessment (EIA) as invalid in January this year, but construction continues and the local government even held an EIA meeting last month.
Photo: Hu Shun-hsiang, Taipei Times
“Should we allow the first domino to fall down [referring to completion of the construction], leading to a grey [covered with concrete] coastline in eastern Taiwan?” music critic Chang Tieh-chih (張鐵志) said, adding that the issue is not only relevant to Taitung County, but also to Taiwanese values.
Aboriginal folk singer Panai said the huge “concrete monster” would destroy the environment and the traditional domain of local Aborigines. She added that it needed to be explained how people who interpret the laws can ignore reality.
“We are all just people passing through the land and we will die one day ... so we can only try again and again to do what is right for the land,” she said, urging more people to stand up against the illegal construction project and to protect the ocean.
Growing up at the seaside in New Taipei City’s (新北市) Rueifang District (瑞芳), rock band The Chairman vocalist A-chi (阿吉) said he had fond childhood memories of playing on the beach with friends, but after many concrete tetrapods were placed on the shore a few years ago, the beautiful environment has totally changed.
“The government should protect the natural beaches for everyone and especially for children to play at,” he said.
Taiwan pop/rock band FIR vocalist Faye (飛) said she is especially fond of the nation’s beautiful natural scenery and insisted on standing up to help protect the natural beach at Shanyuan Bay after visiting there last year.
“We should learn to respect nature as it was created,” she said. “We human beings have taken too much from nature, but given back too little in return.”
“I hope young people in Taipei City can go visit Shanyuan Bay this summer, to see what in Taiwan is worth treasuring and protecting, and to think about what we want to save,” popular indie-pop singer/songwriter Deserts Chang (張懸) said. “The government should use its policies to preserve these places, instead of avoiding obligations and finding regulation loopholes, and leaving those people who are truly concerned about the environment debating endlessly.”
Aboriginal folk singer Nabu said civic groups and artists will camp on the beach from Saturday through July 28. They plan to set up exhibitions about the history of the area, hold discussion forums under the stars, and teach traditional Amis crafts and raft building. Anyone who is interested is welcome to join them.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
‘SAME OLD TRICK’: Even if Beijing resumes individual travel to Taiwan, it would only benefit Chinese tourism companies, the Economic Democracy Union convener said China’s 10 new “incentives” are “sugar-coated poison,” an official said yesterday, adding that Taiwanese businesses see them clearly for what they are, but that Beijing would inevitably find some local collaborators to try to drums up support. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, made the remark ahead of a news conference the General Chamber of Commerce is to hold today. The event, titled “Industry Perspectives on China’s Recent Pro-Taiwan Policies,” is expected to include representatives from industry associations — such as those in travel, hotels, food and agriculture — to request the government cooperate with China’s new measures, people familiar with
RSS