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.
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