The Nantou County Government on Tuesday reiterated that bungee jumping off the Dongpu Suspension Bridge (東埔吊橋) is illegal, after reports that some businesses are organizing bungee jumping activities for tourists there.
Bungee jumping can only be performed on structures specifically designed for the activity, according to Sports Administration regulations, and the bridge is not one of them, Nantou Department of Tourism Director Wang Yuan-chung (王源鍾) said.
The cables holding the bridge and the balustrades have not been tested for the physical stresses that bungee jumping would place on them, he said.
The county government thus banned bungee jumping on the bridge and asked the central government to legislate penalties for those who contravene the ban, Wang said, adding that it is planning to charge violators with public endangerment.
When asked by reporters why the county has banned an activity that is already illegal, Wang said: “At the very least, they [businesses] cannot plead ignorance or lie to innocent members of the public about being supposedly licensed.”
Built in 2005, the bridge is near the hot springs of Dongpu Township (東埔) and holds the record for being the nation’s longest and tallest structure of its kind.
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