The Executive Yuan’s Consumer Protection Committee released its first campsite inspection report yesterday, with 15 campsite operators failing to pass all the safety inspection items, and four of them judged to be dangerous.
The inspection included five categories — the safety of the location; accident prevention measures; construction safety management; liability insurance and the standard contract.
Senior consumer ombudsman Wang Te-ming (王德明) said four campsites failed the location inspection — Pingtung County ‘s Liangshan Campsite (涼山露營區), which is suspected of illegal hillside development, the campsite at Inda Ecological Leisure Farm (達穎生態休閒農場), which was not located where it was registered, Hsinchu County’s Tian Zhong Recreation Campsite (田中休閒露營區), which is located on a probable active landslide zone, and Cherry Valley Campsite (櫻花谷露營區), also in Hsinchu County, which was judged to be in a geologically sensitive area.
“Most of the campsites are located in mountains or forests, but heavy rainfall can cause mudslides or loosened soil. The campsites located on geologically sensitive areas or illegally developed areas might be seriously dangerous,” Wang said.
He said two campsites — Inda Ecological Leisure Farm and Cherry Valley Campsite — failed all five categories in the inspection.
In the aspect of accident prevention measures, only one campsite passed all the inspection items, while the other 14 failed by omissions or contraventions such as lacking first-aid kits, fire extinguishers, life-saving equipment and warning signs, having expired fire extinguishers or keeping them in concealed areas.
Eight campsites failed the construction safety management inspection, with some not having the required construction permit or by having a permit which failed to meet its registered content.
Nine campsites did not have public liability insurance, five campsites did not have a standard contract, and three campsites did not have clear payment or refund methods in their standard contract.
Wang said campsites built on illegally developed land are liable for fines of between NT$60,000 and NT$300,000.
The commission said it has asked the Council of Agriculture and the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to deal with the campsites according to the law, and if consumers face disputes with campsite operators they can call 1950 and report the case to the local authorities.
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