No more plastic lanterns
On Sunday mornings, I often take a walk on the beach in the countryside. The air is always fresh. As I walk, I often pick up garbage that drifts ashore. Today, I found an unusual piece of garbage: an extensive piece of nylon with a long string. It was a sky lantern.
In northern Taiwan, Pingsi (平溪) in New Taipei City is where sky lanterns are released. The town is close to Taiwan proper’s northeast coast. It might be unlikely for fallen sky lanterns to drift to the north coast, but due to the tides and waves, it was not entirely impossible. Judging from the remaining parts, it did not look like an ordinary sky lantern from Pingsi. Perhaps it was from Shihmen (石門) or Jinshan (金山). It should be emphasized that if this piece of garbage had not been made of plastic, it could have decomposed naturally, rather than drifting into the ocean and becoming an environmental problem.
Therefore, it is strongly advised that all sky lanterns be made of wax paper. No plastic materials should be used in the process. What is best for the environment should be considered first. Even if the cost were to drastically increase, we should use bamboo sticks as the lantern frame. Releasing sky lanterns is an act of praying for good luck and safety. If people could spend a little more money for the sake of the environment, they would certainly be blessed more. Besides, it might create more problems if people only think about saving some money and their convenience. If a plastic sky lantern falls on the ground, it might cause a fire, and if it falls into the ocean, it might cost the life of a fish. Such deeds are against reason and nature. If people do that, the wishes they make while releasing a sky lantern would never come true. The Ministry of Environment should ban the use of plastic materials in making sky lanterns. A small regulation would lead to immediate results and immense benefits.
Chen Yen-ling
Taipei
US President Donald Trump created some consternation in Taiwan last week when he told a news conference that a successful trade deal with China would help with “unification.” Although the People’s Republic of China has never ruled Taiwan, Trump’s language struck a raw nerve in Taiwan given his open siding with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression seeking to “reunify” Ukraine and Russia. On earlier occasions, Trump has criticized Taiwan for “stealing” the US’ chip industry and for relying too much on the US for defense, ominously presaging a weakening of US support for Taiwan. However, further examination of Trump’s remarks in
It is being said every second day: The ongoing recall campaign in Taiwan — where citizens are trying to collect enough signatures to trigger re-elections for a number of Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators — is orchestrated by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), or even President William Lai (賴清德) himself. The KMT makes the claim, and foreign media and analysts repeat it. However, they never show any proof — because there is not any. It is alarming how easily academics, journalists and experts toss around claims that amount to accusing a democratic government of conspiracy — without a shred of evidence. These
China on May 23, 1951, imposed the so-called “17-Point Agreement” to formally annex Tibet. In March, China in its 18th White Paper misleadingly said it laid “firm foundations for the region’s human rights cause.” The agreement is invalid in international law, because it was signed under threat. Ngapo Ngawang Jigme, head of the Tibetan delegation sent to China for peace negotiations, was not authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the Tibetan government and the delegation was made to sign it under duress. After seven decades, Tibet remains intact and there is global outpouring of sympathy for Tibetans. This realization
Taiwan is confronting escalating threats from its behemoth neighbor. Last month, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army conducted live-fire drills in the East China Sea, practicing blockades and precision strikes on simulated targets, while its escalating cyberattacks targeting government, financial and telecommunication systems threaten to disrupt Taiwan’s digital infrastructure. The mounting geopolitical pressure underscores Taiwan’s need to strengthen its defense capabilities to deter possible aggression and improve civilian preparedness. The consequences of inadequate preparation have been made all too clear by the tragic situation in Ukraine. Taiwan can build on its successful COVID-19 response, marked by effective planning and execution, to enhance
RSS