The Yunlin County Government’s ban on visits to a section of beach near Taisi Township (台西) has prompted opposition, with netizens saying the county government was choking off a rare opportunity to develop local tourism.
The beach is at the outlet of the Youcailiao Drains (有才寮大排) and was formed by long years of accumulated silt.
On July 3, Yunlin County Commissioner Lee Chin-yung (李進勇) and Taisi Township Mayor Chao Jui-ho (趙瑞和) declared the beach a danger zone and prohibited further activity in the area.
Lee cited past drownings due to people getting stuck in “quicksand” on the beach as the reason for the ban, adding that it was a decision made with the public’s safety in mind.
However, netizens were divided on the announcement, with critics accusing the county government of depriving people of the right to admire the beautiful coastal scenery.
According to netizen Chao Yuan (趙源), it is rare for Taisi residents to be able to point out a scenic spot in the area, adding that the county government should look to Pingtung County’s Kenting Township (墾丁) and Chiayi County’s Dongshih Township (東石) for inspiration.
Both Kenting and Dongshih host excellent beaches, with Kenting’s waterfront being the most popular tourist attraction by far, Chao Yuan said.
Other netizens said that if the beach in Yunlin County was dangerous, then so are Kenting’s beaches, asking whether all beaches should be closed down after an accidental death.
Another netizen, who goes by the pseudonym of Lingchenshun (凌晨訓), said they lived for decades near Yunlin County’s Haikou Village (海口) and never heard of anyone dying from being stuck in sand at low tide.
One supporter of the decision, a man named Huang Chin-feng (黃進風), said that shutting down the beach to prevent accidents was a good thing, adding that the county government would then have more time to properly plan and design a local tourist attraction that would be safer.
Life Insurance Association of the Republic of China chairman Hsu Hsu-po (許舒博) said that if the county government was willing to make plans to stimulate coastal tourism, he would gladly be of assistance.
“We hope the county government gives the people of Taisi Township an alternative source of income,” Hsu said.
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