Who owns the beach? I always felt that Kenting ( 墾丁) was one of the most attractive holiday spots on this island due largely to its beautiful beach and its rather unique nightlife. In October 1999, I went to Kenting to spend a few days at the beach. I found the beach inaccessible, with two guards blocking the way. I thought they wanted to charge an entrance fee. But they didn't. I found out that a relatively new hotel named Chateau (夏都) was responsible. The Chateau paid a sizable amount of money to reserve more than 100m long stretch of sandy beach for its customers. But the hotel is miles away. No wonder the beach was completely empty. I was told that the Kenting business community is not happy about the regulation and had filed complaints, but to no effect. Last year, I wrote the Chateau a letter, which was -- not surprisingly -- ignored. In June this year, I went to Kenting again and found the same situation: a completely empty beach where hundreds could have enjoyed themselves, fenced-off and guarded. I don't understand the logic behind this behavior. What I do understand is, that Chateau harms the entire Kenting community, which depends on tourists. If the hotel wants to keep the beach clean and safe and therefore charge a small amount of money, nobody would have a problem with that. Dear Chateau managers, allow me to appeal to your common sense and restore public access to this beach. Can you imagine a rich businessman constructing a fence around Yushan (玉山) or Taroko Gorge(太魯閣)? Norbert Ruf
Taipei
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