Activists against a wind turbine construction project in Miaoli County’s Yuanli Township (苑裡) yesterday criticized wind energy firm InfraVest over violent acts by security guards during a protest by local residents at the construction site.
Showing pictures of construction site security guards and workers clashing verbally and physically with protesters at 2am yesterday morning, activists accused InfraVest of attempting to illegally continue wind turbine construction early in the morning before the Bureau of Energy was due to hold a special meeting on wind turbines later yesterday morning and allowing its workers and security guards to attack protesters who tried to stop the construction.
“Early in the morning, at about 2am, InfraVest sent in a construction crew which tried to restart wind turbine construction. We local residents tried to stop them and the construction workers and security guards used violence against us,” said Liu Yu-yu (劉育育), a Yuanli resident and a member of a local self-help organization, at a brief press conference outside the Bureau of Energy in Taipei as the meeting took place inside. “Some of the elderly residents were beaten, hit in the face, and a security guard even hit a resident’s face with a small rock he picked up from the ground.”
Photo: Tsai Cheng-min, Taipei Times
Showing injury diagnosis certificates issued by a hospital, Liu said police officers were standing aside and doing nothing when the violence occurred.
“We are not against green energy, we support it, but we believe that the well-being of local residents should be taken into consideration when wind turbines are erected,” Liu said.
Yeh Ting-kui (葉丁貴), another resident of Yuanli, said the company attempted to restart the construction in the early hours of the morning because it knew local residents were heading to the Bureau of Energy in Taipei to protest outside the meeting.
“I wonder if the Bureau of Energy and InfraVest set the whole thing up?” Yeh asked.
Originally, some residents were invited to attend, but they were upset that not everyone affected would be allowed into the meeting and therefore all those who oppose the wind turbine project decided not to attend the meeting in protest.
Yuanli residents have been protesting the project for more than a year.
While not opposed to wind power, residents said they were upset about the proximity of some of the turbines to their homes, worrying that low-frequency noise from the machines may disturb them and that their safety could be threatened should fans from the turbines break off — an incident that has occurred in Taoyuan County, although there were no buildings or anyone close by when the fan fell off.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park this weekend, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a theme food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances. Pokemon Go Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as photo attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs. Pokemon trainers could also experience the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area. Three PokeStops are to be set up in the park. Trainers are invited to take
RSS