New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) has instigated a “trash war” by dumping truckloads of garbage in central and southern Taiwan, and has deceived the public by touting the Wugu Green Oasis (五股夏綠地) as one of his government’s best achievements, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) members said on Wednesday.
Wugu Green Oasis, a 60-hectare park consisting of trees, lawns, art installations and playgrounds, in New Taipei City’s Wugu District (五股), was formerly an industrial-waste landfill, New Taipei City Councilor Tai Wei-shan (戴瑋姍) told a news conference.
“It is now a park, but in the past, this place was well known as ‘Wugu garbage mountain,’ with trash and waste covering 160 hectares,” Tai said.
Photo: Chueh Ching-lun, Taipei Times
“In its cleanup effort, the garbage from the site was transported and illegally dumped in other counties and cities,” Tai added.
Hou, who is vying for the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential nomination, “has defrauded the public through his irresponsible garbage policy,” Tai said, adding that he has instigated a “trash war” in other regions.
DPP Legislator Hung Sun-han (洪申翰) said he has for many years followed issues of waste treatment in the nation.
“Where the Wugu garbage was taken is an open secret within the industry,” Hung said.
“Right now there are numerous trucks carrying industrial waste and municipal trash from New Taipei City, heading south to rural counties and townships,” Hung said.
“It will be dumped in farming villages, abandoned fields and ponds throughout central and southern Taiwan,” Hung added.
He derided Hou for having touted his city government for “having the courage to make change” by excavating the “Wugu garbage mountain,” transforming it into a park, which was inaugurated last year.
However, it is more akin to “the courage to deceive” by causing a “trash war” in other jurisdictions, Hung said.
In forming the Wugu Green Oasis, “the city government only patched up the surface, and did not get to the roots of problems at the site,” Hung said.
“They excavated the dump, loading garbage containing bricks, industrial material and municipal waste into trucks,” Hung added.
“Hou is very irresponsible for not treating the garbage properly... Now he is focused on quitting [his position as mayor] to run for president, leaving the ‘trash war’ for the next mayor,” he said.
New Taipei City is listed as having the largest production of sand and gravel, but it is Taiwan’s only jurisdiction without self-governance statutes, DPP spokesman Chang Chih-hao (張志豪) said.
It also has the highest production of industrial waste, while also having the lowest proportion of qualified waste-treatment firms, Chang said, adding that it transported the garbage to transfer the environmental damage to farms and unused land in other regions.
Critics should not disregard the work of city government employees, Hou told reporters when asked about the issue on Wednesday.
“All officials and staff are working diligently to reach project targets. Teams at the New Taipei City Government have made progress on social welfare, education and culture programs, so people must not obliterate their efforts,” he said.
The New Taipei City Environmental Protection Department said it has joined with public prosecutors to crack down on illegal dumping, and has formed a team to probe environmental crimes.
“If other regions find garbage or landfill waste from New Taipei City, they will certainly mete out fines and demand its return,” it said.
Officials in New Taipei City have set up a special police unit to prevent indiscriminate dumping, it said, adding that there is a strict monitoring process for waste disposal by construction companies.
A waste disposal plan must be submitted, clearly identifying types of waste, the amount and method of disposal, which must be approved before a project can start, the department said.
During construction, firms must regularly report the destination of transported waste, install GPS systems on trucks, and verify waste disposal and treatment before they can receive an operating license, it added.
Additional reporting by CNA
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
RSS