Whether or not Taiwan should pursue casinos as a way to boost tourism remains a matter open to discussion, Yeh Chu-lan (
Yeh told the legislature's Transportation and Communications Committee yesterday that she disapproved of casinos and said that their illegality prevented the ministry from pursuing gambling as a way to boost tourism.
Still, Yeh said, the issue remains open to debate.
Yeh has a long-standing record as a legislator of opposing casinos. She made her remarks after legislators yesterday urged the Ministry of Transportation and Communications to include casino development in the ministry's tourism promotion plans.
But KMT lawmaker Chang Fu-hsin (
Hsu Chin-yuan (
Hsu Su-yeh (許素葉), a KMT lawmaker, said that the ministry "lacked the guts" to push forward measures to establish casinos. "Most Taiwanese talk about morality as an excuse to reject casinos but always gamble themselves," Hsu said.
Yeh said she was "not against casinos as an element in all tourism projects," but added that "because gambling is still illegal, the ministry considers this to be an issue that requires further discussion."
But the KMT's Hsu said that it was very easy to amend the laws to allow casinos. "It is we who have the right to modify laws. As long as the ministry has the determination to promote casinos to support tourism, I don't see any problem with that," he said.
Yeh said that the possibility of setting up casinos was currently under evaluation by the Council of Economic Planning and Development. As to whether gambling should be legalized, that's a matter for the Ministry of Justice, Yeh said.
As for the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Yeh said she wasn't prepared to make gambling an element of tourism promotion campaigns.
"In fact, we don't necessarily have to rely on casinos," Yeh said.
"Many other countries have successfully developed their tourism industries without setting up casinos."
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