Negotiations are still under way for a national marine park covering Pengjia Islet (彭佳嶼), Mianhua Islet (棉花嶼) and Huaping Islet (花瓶嶼), a Ministry of the Interior official said yesterday.
The government does not have a fixed timetable for establishing the park, Construction and Planning Agency Director Hsu Wen-lung (許文龍) said.
The park plan has been criticized by local fishermen, who have raised concerns about their fishing rights in the area, he said.
Photo: Lu Hsien-hsiu, Taipei Times
The three volcanic islets — with a combined landmass of 1.29km2 — are administered by Keelung.
Pengjia, at about 55km from Taiwan proper, is the farthest away of the three and is slightly more than 140km west of the Diaoyutai Islands (釣魚台), making it the closest Taiwan-held territory to the islands claimed by Taiwan, China and Japan.
Keelung Fishermen’s Association executive secretary Chen Wen-chin (陳文欽) said that the waters around the islets are considered important fishing grounds because they are rich in mackerel, skipjack tuna and prawns.
The ministry should thoroughly discuss any plans that would regulate fishing in proposed reservation areas, Chen said.
If established, the new park would be the second marine national park, following the inauguration of the South Penghu Marine National Park in October last year.
Additional reporting by Lu Hsien-hsiu
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
At least three people died and more than a dozen were injured yesterday afternoon when a vehicle struck a group of pedestrians in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽). The incident happened at about 4pm when a car rammed into pedestrians at an intersection near Bei Da Elementary School. Witnesses said the sedan, being driven at a high speed, ran a red light, knocking scooters out of the way and hitting students crossing the road before careening into a median near the intersection of Guocheng and Guoguang streets. The incident resulted in three deaths and 13 injuries, including the driver, a 78-year-old man
RSS