The Yushan National Park Headquarters closed the main peak of Yushan (玉山) to public access, thwarting reported plans by the China Unification Promotion Party (CUPP) to wave the Chinese national flag on the summit on China’s National Day yesterday.
Parts of the trail to the main peak of Yushan have not been repaired after damage from typhoons and rainfall, Yushan National Park Headquarters deputy director Lin Wen-ho (林文和) said yesterday.
The Central Weather Bureau had also warned that Typhoon Trami could hit Taiwan, Lin said.
As the typhoon’s periphery could bring strong winds and rainfall to mountainous regions and affect public safety, the Yushan authority announced that entry to Yushan trails would be prohibited from 12pm on Saturday to 5am today, in line with Article 22 of the Disaster Prevention and Protection Act (災害防救法) and the National Park Act (國家公園法), he said.
Although the decision to close the trails was not to thwart pro-unification groups, the Yushan authority did feel relieved, he said.
Lin said he wanted to remind hikers that they are prohibited from planting flags in the park, with breaches to be prosecuted according to the National Park Law.
Officers from the National Police Agency’s Seventh Special Police Corps were dispatched to Yushan to maintain safety, sources said.
Sources said intelligence agencies received reports that the CUPP is to host celebrations nationwide over the national day holiday, typically referred to as Golden Week.
The CUPP had wanted to summit the symbolically significant Yushan, they said.
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