President Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) first visit with environmental activists since his inauguration on May 20 was marked by heckles yesterday.
Ma deliberately did not wear a suit upon his arrival at the 2008 National NGO’s Environmental Conference and opted to take the stairs to the third-floor conference venue. However, upon finishing his opening remarks, Ma was put in the hot seat when an environmentalist shouted: “Environmental protection is not just about taking off your suit — it’s more important for Taiwan to have a [comprehensive] environmental policy.”
A banner reading “Fourth Nuclear Power Plant referendum, bring it on!” was unfurled by other environmentalists during the ceremony.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
The heckler was Chan Hsi-lin (粘錫麟), the recipient of yesterday’s Environmental Contribution Award given by the conference. The 70-year-old Chan has for many years been an important leader in environmental social movements. In 1987, Chan led fellow residents in Changhua’s Lukang Township (鹿港) in thwarting the construction of a Dupont titanium dioxide plant. The success of their protest boosted the morale of environmental groups and served as a model for the anti-pollution movements that followed.
Over the past 22 years, Chan has made the environment his full-time job and his devotion has earned him the nickname “Environmental Protection Preacher.”
Asked why he publicly challenged Ma, Chan said the fact that he still had to fight for the environment at 70 showed that there had not been much progress in the past decade on green awareness.
Citing Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (溫家寶), who shouted: “You were raised by the people” to Chinese troops involved in rescue efforts in Sichuan following the May 12 earthquake, Chan said that as the Taiwanese government had similarly been groomed by the people, one had reason to ask: “What has the Ma government done for Taiwan’s land and people?”
The Ma government could not neglect the environment on its course to pursing economic prosperity, Chan said.
Environmental protection is not just a slogan — one cannot claim to treasure the environment while allowing the construction of new coal-burning power plants, he said.
The Ma government should re-evaluate the industrial structure and come up with environmental policies that fit the country’s requirements, Chan said.
Taiwan cannot be allowed to continue developing highly polluting industries and wasting natural resources, and should focus on creating sustainable high-tech green industries, he said.
Others were disappointed that Ma did not address measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions.
“I expected Ma to express his views on Formosa Plastics Group’s petrochemical factory. After all, how much greenhouse gas can we cut by taking off business suits?” said Gloria Hsu (徐光蓉), chairwoman of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS