President Chen Shui-bian (
In a speech at a ceremony to introduce the Arbor Month campaign, Chen said his administration's infrastructure construction and reform programs in various fields are like "planting saplings to sustain Taiwan's development."
"We hope construction and reform will continue and bring prosperity and good fortune to our people, just as saplings grow strong and blossom," Chen said.
PHOTO: CNA
Noting that trees can symbolize the continuity of hope and the spirit of perseverance, Chen said his administration has spared no effort to boost afforestation and ecological conservation.
"We have been determined to raise the amount of land in Taiwan covered by forest to 60 percent of the island's total land area by 2008," Chen said.
To realize the goal, Chen said, the government last year designated the period from Feb. 4 to March 12 as Taiwan's Arbor Month. This year's campaign plans to establish more than 1.3 million plants and seedlings on some 600 hectares of community parkland and school campuses around the nation.
Many senior officials, including Presidential Office Deputy Secretary-General Chen Che-nan (
They planted saplings at the Hsinta Fishing Port, which has been transformed from a sleepy deep-sea fishing base into one of the largest recreational fishing ports in Southeast Asia. The tree-planting activity also attracted thousands of residents of southern Taiwan to participate.
Tai said that the Council of Agriculture and the nation's eight forest administration bureaus will jointly organize 27 large-scale tree-planting activities in various parts of the island over the course of Arbor Month.
The government designated the day of national founding father Dr Sun Yat-sen's passing as Arbor Day four years after his death in 1925. Today, trees are planted each March 12 in remembrance of Sun's encouragement of afforestation and his contribution to the nation.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
STATS: Taiwan’s average life expectancy of 80.77 years was lower than that of Japan, Singapore and South Korea, but higher than in China, Malaysia and Indonesia Taiwan’s average life expectancy last year increased to 80.77 years, but was still not back to its pre-COVID-19 pandemic peak of 81.32 years in 2020, the Ministry of the Interior said yesterday. The average life expectancy last year increased the 0.54 years from 2023, the ministry said in a statement. For men and women, the average life expectancy last year was 77.42 years and 84.30 years respectively, up 0.48 years and 0.56 years from the previous year. Taiwan’s average life expectancy peaked at 81.32 years in 2020, as the nation was relatively unaffected by the pandemic that year. The metric
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
Passengers on Taiwan High Speed Rail (THSR) will be required to use headphones and make phone calls in gangways under new “quiet travel” rules starting Sept. 22. THSR Chairman Shih Che (史哲) told media that THSR will run a three-month promotional campaign to ensure widespread adoption of the new rules. Those repeatedly ignoring the guidance face the potential termination of their transport contract, which can result in them getting escorted off the train, according to THSR. Shih shared his hope to cultivate an environment conducive to rest and reading for the train’s passengers, stating that these changes aim to “promote self-discipline” among passengers