The frontline islets of Dadan (大膽) and Erdan (二膽), part of the Kinmen archipelago, may be opened to tourists in 2017 at the earliest, Minister Without Portfolio Lin Junq-tzer (林政則) said.
However, the islets would remain off-limits to Chinese nationals, even after opening to other visitors, Lin said.
Dadan and Erdan were the focus of artillery battles with Chinese Communist forces in 1950 and 1958.
Located just over 4km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, the islets are known as “the front line of the front lines.” Their distance from the main island of Kinmen is nearly three times as great.
Dadan and Erdan are administered by the military, but are to be transferred to the Kinmen County Government on June 30, after which the military is expected to reduce its presence and turn over defense of the islands to the coast guard and police.
Lin — who is overseeing the transition — said that facilities on Dadan and Erdan are to be overhauled before certain groups, mainly Kinmen government employees and students, are allowed to visit between July and August next year in a trial run.
The government would then conduct a feasibility review of the plan in 2017 at the earliest, Lin said.
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