Performers, artists and writers yesterday expressed their concern that construction projects along Taiwan’s eastern coastline would rapidly destroy the natural environment.
Music critic and well-known blogger Chang Tieh-chih (張鐵志) said during a press conference at Taipei’s Huashan 1914 Creative Park that 115 signatures — 61 from musicians, 35 from those in the cultural sector and 19 -involved in show business — had been collected in support of protecting the natural environment of the eastern coastline.
The organizers of the petition say the coastline along Hualien County and Taitung County is the last piece of pure natural land in Taiwan, but construction projects such as the beachfront Meiliwan Resort Hotel at Shanyuan Bay are damaging beautiful beaches that should be open to members of the public.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“The Meiliwan case is just the beginning of a series of major projects to come,” they said.
“There are 22 construction projects planned or already under way along Hualien’s coastline and 16 along Taitung’s coastline, with most of them slated to become recreational parks or resorts,” said Lulu Keng (耿璐), a volunteer and correspondent of the event.
Keng added that the petitioners were not simply against development, rather they wished to see alternative development possibilities which preserve the natural environment and respect the local residents.
“If we respect our land and do our best to protect it, everyone in the world will recognize our efforts and respect us,” veteran musician Jonathan Lee (李宗盛) said.
The group encouraged the government to stop the construction projects, re-evaluate the whole development plan of the eastern coastline and take into consideration the opinions and feelings of the local residents, specialists and ecologists.
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