Whether to allow the construction of casino resorts on the outlying archipelago of Matsu was at the core of a heated debate at a forum held in Taipei County yesterday as more than 100 natives of Matsu living both in Matsu and the Taiwanese mainland met with local officials.
“Having an aging population and outward migration are the most serious problems that Matsu faces at the moment and I think building casino resorts can resolve the problem,” a Matsu resident who did not identify himself told the forum.
“Look at Macau, it’s a small city but it attracts millions of visitors every year because of the casino resorts,” the Matsu resident said. “With visitors come abundant employment opportunities for locals, increased tax income for the government that can be used to improve welfare for the people.”
Following the example of Macau, Matsu could also become a popular tourist destination, he added.
The forum was organized by the Lienchiang County Government to table discussion concerning Matsu’s future developments as China launches a project to turn its historically impoverished coastal areas along Fujian Province into a special economic zone.
Matsu, a collective name for 36 islands off China’s Fujian Province, falls under the administration of Lienchiang County.
As China’s Pingtan Island — about 45km from Matsu — will become one of the hubs in China’s planned special economic zone, many in Matsu are worried that the small islands will become marginalized.
The first speaker’s remarks soon drew opposition from another Matsu resident surnamed Cheng (鄭), who pointed out that with so many casinos in operation, Macau has become a laundering center for dirty money from China.
“I’m not a moralist, I would support legalization of the sex industry, but I am strongly opposed to having casinos in Matsu because I don’t want it to become the next Macau,” Cheng said.
Another Matsu resident, Lin Huo-meng (林火孟), echoed Cheng’s view.
Lin said the fact that the Matsu Islands are where Matsu (媽祖) — the Goddess of the Sea — died could make it a pilgrimage destination for the over 8 million followers of Matsu. Lienchiang County Commissioner Yang Sui-sheng (楊綏生) said while gambling is a taboo in his family, he thinks casino resorts could be one of the options for Matsu.
“We’re not aiming to become an international casino town like Macau or Las Vegas, but we could become a smaller-scale regional casino town for visitors from Fuzhou or Wenzhou on China’s southeastern coast,” Yang said. “Of course, whether to build casinos is a decision to be made by all Matsu residents.”
“But whatever they decide to do, raising the casino issue is a strategy to call for attention from the central government on Matsu’s needs,” Yang added.
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