Control Yuan members Fan Sun-lu (笵巽綠) and Su Li-chiung (蘇麗瓊) on Tuesday said that they are petitioning to investigate if strict regulations on activities near water are infringing on the public’s right to recreational activities.
The pair said they have received complaints from the Taiwan Allow Activities on Open Waters Alliance and other organizations that their request to the Taipei City Government to hold a recursive rowing event in Dahu Park (大湖公園) in Neihu District (內湖) was denied.
Taiwan has many lakes and rivers, the Control Yuan members said, adding that it is a rising trend among international cities, such as New York, Tokyo and Amsterdam, to promote water-related recreational activities to promote economic development.
Photo: Cheng Ming-hsiang, Taipei Times
Regulations in Taiwan seem to stand in the way of popularizing recreational water activities, they said.
The Control Yuan is within reason to launch an investigation into the issue, as it believes questions on whether standing regulations are anachronistic or whether the Taipei City Government’s refusal to approve the event was targeted should be answered, they said.
Competent authorities and local city governments have differing regulations on open water activities, making it difficult for practitioners to follow the law, Fan and Su said.
The pair said they would determine whether the Taipei City Government’s decision observes the principle of proportionality and whether its standards are appropriate.
Definition of open water areas and what locations fit these criteria should be inventoried and local regulations reviewed to encourage the public to take part in aquatic activities, they said.
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake struck off the coast of Hualien County in eastern Taiwan at 7pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The epicenter of the temblor was at sea, about 69.9km south of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 30.9km, it said. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake’s intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County’s Changbin Township (長濱), where it measured 5 on Taiwan’s seven-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 4 in Hualien, Nantou, Chiayi, Yunlin, Changhua and Miaoli counties, as well as
STAY AWAY: An official said people should avoid disturbing snakes, as most do not actively attack humans, but would react defensively if threatened Taitung County authorities yesterday urged the public to stay vigilant and avoid disturbing snakes in the wild, following five reported snakebite cases in the county so far this year. Taitung County Fire Department secretary Lin Chien-cheng (林建誠) said two of the cases were in Donghe Township (東河) and involved the Taiwan habus, one person was bit by a Chinese pit viper near the South Link Railway and the remaining two were caused by unidentified snakes. He advised residents near fields to be cautious of snakes hiding in shady indoor areas, especially when entering or leaving their homes at night. In case of a
Credit departments of farmers’ and fishers’ associations blocked a total of more than NT$180 million (US$6.01 million) from being lost to scams last year, National Police Agency (NPA) data showed. The Agricultural Finance Agency (AFA) said last week that staff of farmers’ and fishers’ associations’ credit departments are required to implement fraud prevention measures when they serve clients at the counter. They would ask clients about personal financial management activities whenever they suspect there might be a fraud situation, and would immediately report the incident to local authorities, which would send police officers to the site to help, it said. NPA data showed
ENERGY RESILIENCE: Although Alaska is open for investments, Taiwan is sourcing its gas from the Middle East, and the sea routes carry risks, Ho Cheng-hui said US government officials’ high-profile reception of a Taiwanese representative at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference indicated the emergence of an Indo-Pacific energy resilience alliance, an academic said. Presidential Office Secretary-General Pan Men-an (潘孟安) attended the conference in Alaska on Thursday last week at the invitation of the US government. Pan visited oil and gas facilities with senior US officials, including US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and US Senator Daniel Sullivan. Pan attending the conference on behalf of President William Lai (賴清德) shows a significant elevation in diplomatic representation,
RSS