Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je’s (柯文哲) comments about a project by the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation on a disputed plot of land in Neihu District (內湖) drew a heated response from Buddhist Master Shih Chao-hwei (釋昭慧) yesterday.
“I cannot help but severely criticize Ko,” Shih said in a Facebook post, protesting what she called Ko’s “humiliation” of the foundation.
“It is like biting the hand that feeds you,” Shih said. “The mayor of Taipei has treated with hostility a noble organization that helps him care for the city’s weak and disadvantaged.”
Photo: Kuo An-chia, Taipei Times
She said Ko had not done his homework and carefully reviewed the foundation’s plan before calling it a “development project,” as if it were an urban renewal plan backed by a business group.
The site is to be used to manufacture blankets for use in disaster relief and would serve as a logistics center in the event of an emergency, she said.
In a recent interview with CK Potpourri, the Taipei Municipal Jianguo High School magazine, Ko said it was “strange” that the foundation had bought the land in an environmentally protected zone in Neihu for development.
The project has been mired in controversy for more than 10 years because of opposition from residents and environmental groups.
Tree Party policy director Pan Han-shen (潘翰聲) said that environmental groups oppose the project because it would set a poor precedent, opening the door for large corporations or those with influence to expedite approval for use of land in environmentally protected zones.
He said the Tzu Chi Foundation had sought to have the project approved as an individual case, without considering the wider impact it would have and that it has refused to have the project undergo an environmental impact assessment.
In December last year, Ko said he was opposed to the project as a matter of principle, stating that there was no need for Taipei to take from the wilderness to make room for further population growth.
In response to Shih’s remarks, Taipei City Government spokesman Sidney Lin (林鶴明) said Ko was only discussing the facts of a case that has attracted substantial public interest, and was not taking aim at any particular organization.
The city was extremely grateful for the foundation’s assistance in dealing with the aftermath of last month’s plane crash, Lin said.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS