Illegal picking of reef pemphis, a maritime plant, is becoming a serious concern in Pingtung County’s Kenting (墾丁), prompting an investigation by Kenting National Park Headquarters.
Reef pemphis, which grows along the coast and only on coral reefs, can be found around the Hengchun Peninsula and at one time was used as potted plants or herbal medicine by locals, the park said on Tuesday.
Removal of the plants compromises the protective function of the natural coastline and disrupts coastal habitats, park administration Deputy Director Hsu Shu-kuo (許書國) said.
Photo courtesy of the Kenting National Park Headquarters
Flower picking has always been a problem, but the practice is increasing, Hsu said, adding that the increase in reports has been most alarming in the Houwan (後灣) area.
In some cases, the plants are being picked for medicinal use, but in other situations, parts of the reef are being taken with the plants, indicating that they are being taken for decorative purposes, Hsu said.
Removing the plants contravenes the Forestry Act (森林法) and National Park Act (國家公園法), and could result in a charge of larceny, he said.
The park and police have increased patrols and monitoring to investigate and stop pemphis removal following leads gathered from security footage, he said.
Minor offenses could result in a fine of up to NT$3,000, while major offenders could be charged with larceny, Hsu said.
Prosecutors in New Taipei City yesterday indicted 31 individuals affiliated with the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) for allegedly forging thousands of signatures in recall campaigns targeting three Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers. The indictments stem from investigations launched earlier this year after DPP lawmakers Su Chiao-hui (蘇巧慧) and Lee Kuen-cheng (李坤城) filed criminal complaints accusing campaign organizers of submitting false signatures in recall petitions against them. According to the New Taipei District Prosecutors Office, a total of 2,566 forged recall proposal forms in the initial proposer petition were found during the probe. Among those
ECHOVIRUS 11: The rate of enterovirus infections in northern Taiwan increased last week, with a four-year-old girl developing acute flaccid paralysis, the CDC said Two imported cases of chikungunya fever were reported last week, raising the total this year to 13 cases — the most for the same period in 18 years, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The two cases were a Taiwanese and a foreign national who both arrived from Indonesia, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Lee Chia-lin (李佳琳) said. The 13 cases reported this year are the most for the same period since chikungunya was added to the list of notifiable communicable diseases in October 2007, she said, adding that all the cases this year were imported, including 11 from
China might accelerate its strategic actions toward Taiwan, the South China Sea and across the first island chain, after the US officially entered a military conflict with Iran, as Beijing would perceive Washington as incapable of fighting a two-front war, a military expert said yesterday. The US’ ongoing conflict with Iran is not merely an act of retaliation or a “delaying tactic,” but a strategic military campaign aimed at dismantling Tehran’s nuclear capabilities and reshaping the regional order in the Middle East, said National Defense University distinguished adjunct lecturer Holmes Liao (廖宏祥), former McDonnell Douglas Aerospace representative in Taiwan. If
The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) today condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after the Czech officials confirmed that Chinese agents had surveilled Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) during her visit to Prague in March last year. Czech Military Intelligence director Petr Bartovsky yesterday said that Chinese operatives had attempted to create the conditions to carry out a demonstrative incident involving Hsiao, going as far as to plan a collision with her car. Hsiao was vice president-elect at the time. The MAC said that it has requested an explanation and demanded a public apology from Beijing. The CCP has repeatedly ignored the desires