Members of a religious organization are suspected of defacing the landmark Kuanyin Stone (觀音石) in Pingtung County’s Liouciou Township (琉球) and they are to be summoned for questioning in the next few days.
The “Kuanyin Stone” is a 200-year-old rock formation that resembles the profile of Kuanyin, the Buddhist goddess of mercy and compassion.
It has been a major draw for tourists and religious devotees alike.
Photo taken from the Internet
However, local residents discovered on April 21 that the nose, mouth and chin of the formation had been cut off.
An unidentified person provided the police with a video reportedly showing several members of a religious group performing what appeared to be a religious ritual next to the rock on April 21.
After examining videos from surveillance cameras installed near the formation, the police concluded on Monday that the religious organization came from other parts of the nation.
However, when the police contacted the group’s liaison to inquire about the case, he denied allegations that the members were responsible for the damage, saying that they also recorded the ritual and were willing to submit the footage as evidence.
Meanwhile, Liouciou Township Mayor Tsai Tien-yu (蔡天裕) and Dapeng Bay National Scenic Area Administration Deputy Director Hsu Chu-lung (許主龍) have tasked specialists to evaluate and repair the damage, although some people urged them to “leave the rock as it is.”
Damaging famous landmarks, natural resources or tourist facilities in tourism locations or designated scenic spots is punishable with a maximum fine of NT$5 million (US$165,000) should the damage be irreparable, as stipulated in Article 62 of the Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例).
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard