Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) yesterday said that he would seek to communicate with Taipei mayor-elect Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) on issues related to the construction of a direct rail line connecting Taipei and Yilan, adding that the government must consult environmental experts.
After a meeting on Sunday, Ko said he reached a consensus with Yilan County Commissioner Lin Tsung-hsien (林聰賢) to jointly push for a Taipei-Yilan rail line, adding that they would seek to build the shortest route — or “route A,” through the Feitsui Reservoir’s (翡翠水庫) catchment area — rather than “route B,” a curved path avoiding the environmentally sensitive area.
“We should look for a way to succeed, not excuses for failure. The decision [to take route B] is dodging the environmental issue; we should first try to see if the environmental issues can be solved. If they can, then we should of course choose route A. If they cannot, then we would go to route B,” Ko said on Sunday.
Environmental activists vehemently opposed the proposal, as Ko and Lin’s preferred route would pass through a primary source of drinking water for residents in the Greater Taipei area.
When asked by legislators about the issue during the Transportation Committee meeting in Taipei yesterday, Yeh said the central government chose the route that would bypass the reservoir’s catchment area due to strong opposition from the Taipei City Government, adding that the ministry is conducting an environmental impact assessment on the route that will not pass through the reservoir.
“The ministry will take into consideration any new idea proposed by the Taipei City Government and Yilan County Government. However, we must respect the opinions of the experts, particularly those who are experts in environmental protection,” he said.
The government’s route goes from Taipei’s Nangang District (南港) to Toucheng Township (頭城) via Dashi Township (大溪) in Yilan County and is about 53km long.
The route would shorten the travel time from Taipei to Yilan by 18 minutes, with the construction estimated to cost NT$49.1 billion.
The route selected by Lin and Ko is 36.3km and goes through the Feitsui Reservoir area.
The route would reduce travel time from 65 minutes to 39 minutes. Construction is estimated to cost NT$45.8 billion.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lee Hung-chun (李鴻鈞) said he opposed the project, regardless of the route.
He added that the government’s route is not likely to be approved by the Environmental Assessment Committee either, as it passes through some ecologically fragile zones and mining areas along the way.
While the ministry estimated the cost to be about NT$49.1 billion, Lee said the government might not pull the project off even if it pumps in NT$100 billion.
Separately yesterday, outgoing Taipei Mayor Hau Lung-bin (郝龍斌) also expressed in a note posted on Facebook “strong opposition” to “any” plan that would put a railroad through the Feitsui Reservoir area, due to concerns the project could jeopardize the city’s water supply.
“It is extremely difficult to restore water quality,” Hau wrote. “Therefore, [on this issue] when it’s impossible not to choose between development and the environment, the environment should take top priority.”
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
RSS