It takes just two hours to travel from Taipei to Hualien by train, but the nation’s north and east seem like two different worlds.
As the train pulls into Hualien County’s Sincheng Train Station, passengers can see Asia Cement Corp’s mine on a hill; at its foot are a few humble houses.
Further back are towering mountains, muted as if musing.
Despite decades-long efforts by environmentalists, most people did not know about the problems caused by the mine until they saw aerial footage shot by late director Chi Po-lin (齊柏林), who died in a helicopter crash in Hualien on June 10.
In the three weeks following Chi’s death, thousands of people signed an online petition and participated in a march initiated by environmental groups to express their fury over the company’s extension of mining permits.
The government made promises and the groups kept criticizing them.
The Control Yuan said it has launched an investigation into the case. Before long, people returned to their daily lives.
A group of Aborigines camped outside the Presidential Office Building to protest regulations about Aboriginal lands. They first camped on the Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei and, after being driven away by police in heavy rain, camped at a nearby MRT station to continue their protest.
People need evidence — photographs, videos, narratives — to have some taste of the truth even though it is not easily attainable in a world of spectacles.
“Officials said eastern Taiwan is behind the mountains, but actually this is the place that sees the first rays of sun from the Pacific Ocean,” Aboriginal elder Wang Ming-yuan (王明源) told visitors to his Dipit community in Hualien County’s Fengbin Township (豐濱).
His words are penetrating, as they challenge the stereotypes held by people with Taipei-centric mindsets.
Whether it is Taipei-centrism or Han-centrism, people outside the center continue to endure unfair distribution of resources.
What is the meaning of lands, and of existence?
The questions become pressing at a time when the government is promoting the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program and the Council of Agriculture is reckoning the nation’s farmlands.
People need to stop, look around and consider what sort of surroundings they hope to live and die with their loved ones.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese