Anti-gambling activists and representatives from various religious groups yesterday urged Kinmen residents to return home and vote “no” to legalized gambling in a referendum scheduled for Saturday next week.
The referendum is crucial because it will not only determine the future of gambling on Taiwan’s outlying islands, but it could also end calls for the legalization of gambling, Taiwan Coalition Against Legalized Gambling executive director Ho Tsung-hsu (何宗勳) said.
“People in Penghu have voted in two separate referendums to reject legalized gambling. If people in Kinmen [County] also choose to veto the legalization of gambling, it would de facto abolish Article 10-2 of the Offshore Islands Development Act [離島建設條例], which forms the legal basis for opening a casino on outlying islands,” he said.
Photo: CNA
Article 10-2 stipulates that before an offshore island can permit the establishment of tourist casinos, a local referendum must be held in accordance with the Referendum Act (公民投票法), with more than half of valid votes cast in favor of allowing casinos.
The island that survived artillery attacks in the 1949 Battle of Guningtou and in the Second Taiwan Strait Crisis is now facing an attack from casinos, Buddhist master Shih Chao-hwei (釋昭慧) said.
People in Kinmen have reached a crossroad again, she said.
“Macau and Singapore have showed that locals, rather than tourists, quickly become victims of gambling,” she said, adding that gaming is a sinful industry.
Yang Tsai-ping (楊再平), founder of the Anti-Casino Movement in Kinmen, said he had urged the government to lift all military regulations imposed on Kinmen many years ago, but it had never occurred to him that one day he would be opposing the establishment of casinos on the island.
People on Kinmen have lived through wars, Yang said, adding that future generations on the island should not have to live through disasters caused by gambling.
Not voting in the referendum would allow casino operators to reap the benefits, he said.
Greed is the root of all evil, Presbyterian Pastor Lin Wei-lien (林偉聯) said, adding that the government should not use the Offshore Islands Development Act or boosting the economy as excuses to build casinos on the outlying islands.
Legalizing gambling would set a bad example for children and cause the crime rate in Kinmen to rise, Lin said, adding that people in Kinmen need to think twice before they vote and must not pursue short-term benefit.
Catholicism teaches that people need to work for a living, said Father Ollevier Willy of the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Casinos allow people to make money without having to earn it themselves, Willy said, adding that Kinmen should develop and progress normally.
The government should increase flights and shipping services for people to return home and vote in the referendum, Taiwan Private School Employee Union chairman Wang Hong-nan (王宏男) said.
PROCEDURE: Although there is already a cross-strait agreement in place for the extradition of criminals, ample notice is meant to be given to the other side first Ten Taiwanese who were involved in fraud-related crimes in China were extradited back to Taiwan via Kinmen County on Wednesday, four of whom are convicted fraudsters in Taiwan. The 10 people arrived via a ferry operating between Xiamen and Kinmen, also known as the “small three links.” The Kinmen County Prosecutors’ Office yesterday said that four of the 10 extradited people were convicted in Taiwan for committing fraud and contravening the Money Laundering Control Act (洗錢防制法), and were on the wanted list. They were immediately arrested upon arrival and sent to Kinmen Prison to serve their sentences following brief questioning, the office said.
Taipei and Kaohsiung have extended an open invitation to Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki after Chinese authorities abruptly canceled her scheduled concert in Shanghai. Hamasaki, 47, had been slated to perform on Saturday before organizers pulled the show at the last minute, citing “force majeure,” a move widely viewed as retaliation for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s recent remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could draw a military response from Tokyo. Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) yesterday said the city “very much welcomes” Hamasaki’s return and would continue to “surprise” her. Hamasaki, who has a large global fan base, including
‘REGRETTABLE’: Travelers reported that Seoul’s online arrival card system lists Taiwan as ‘China (Taiwan),’ the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday urged South Korea to correct the way Taiwan is listed in its newly launched e-Arrival card system, saying the current designation downgrades the nation’s status. South Korea rolled out the online system on Feb. 24 to gradually replace paper arrival cards, which it plans to phase out by next year. Travelers must complete the electronic form up to 72 hours before entering the country. The ministry said it has received multiple complaints from Taiwanese travelers saying that the system lists Taiwan as “China (Taiwan)” in dropdown menus for both “place of departure” and “next
VIGILANT: Enterovirus activity remains in the epidemic phase, with the CDC urging caregivers of infected children to be on the lookout for signs of severe illness Influenza activity is rising in neighboring countries, and, with temperatures forecast to drop this week, flu cases are expected to increase in the next two weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. Hospitals reported 87,162 visits for flu-like illnesses between Nov. 23 and Saturday, which remained about the same level as the previous week, but nine deaths and 24 cases with serious flu complications were also confirmed last week, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said. Flu activity reached a peak in late September before declining for eight consecutive weeks, CDC Deputy Director-General and spokesman Lin Min-cheng (林明誠)
RSS