As Taiwan is connected with the world through the oceans, it aims to establish a first-rate marine industry, while balancing environmental sustainability, and encourage more international visitors to appreciate all the nation has to offer, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at the fourth National Oceans Day event in Kaohsiung.
In celebration of National Oceans Day, which is on June 8 each year, the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) held an event at the Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural and Pop Music Center from Thursday through yesterday.
Tsai said that since the OAC was established five years ago, marine affairs management has been shifted from local governments to the central government, showing Taiwan’s high respect for the ocean and representing the spirit of “being based in Taiwan, and sailing toward the world.”
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The event’s theme this year echoed the UN’s World Oceans Day theme “Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing” — a reminder that everyone is responsible for protecting the ocean, she said.
The government has promoted a series of “pay tribute to the ocean” policies over the past few years, which included amending the Marine Pollution Control Act (海洋污染防治法) and increasing maximum penalties for ocean polluters from NT$1.5 million to NT$100 million (US$48,820 to US$3.25 million), last month, Tsai said, adding that an ocean pollution prevention fund is to be established.
The Marine Industry Development Regulations (海洋產業發展條例) were also passed last month, stipulating that the government should allocate funds for developing the marine industry, encouraging locals to attend marine-related activities, and providing guidance, assistance, rewards and subsidies for marine businesses, she said.
These efforts show how the government is dealing with ocean pollution, and establishing a quality marine industry, while balancing environmental sustainability, Tsai said.
“Oceans connect Taiwan with the world, and while the world is returning to normal in the post-pandemic era, beautiful Taiwan is opening its arms and embracing the world through the oceans, so it welcomes international friends to come and visit,” she said, adding that people who love surfing, diving, fishing or whale watching should not miss the opportunity to visit Taiwan.
The government has set a goal of attracting more than 6 million international visitors this year, she added.
Tsai said that for Taiwan to be sustainable, its oceans must be sustainable, so she encourages everyone to work together to protect them.
The Grand Hotel Taipei on Saturday confirmed that its information system had been illegally accessed and expressed its deepest apologies for the concern it has caused its customers, adding that the issue is being investigated by the Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau. The hotel said that on Tuesday last week, it had discovered an external illegal intrusion into its information system. An initial digital forensic investigation confirmed that parts of the system had been accessed, it said, adding that the possibility that some customer data were stolen and leaked could not be ruled out. The actual scope and content of the affected data
DO THEY BITE IT? Cats have better memories than people might think, but their motivation is based entirely around the chance of getting fed Cats can remember the identity of the people who fed them the day before, Taipei-based veterinarians said on Friday, debunking a popular myth that cats have a short memory. If a stray does not recognize the person who fed them the previous day, it is likely because they are not carrying food and the cat has no reason to recognize them, said Wu Chou Animal Hospital head Chen Chen-huan (陳震寰). “When cats come to a human bearing food, it is coming for the food, not the person,” he said. “The food is the key.” Since the cat’s attention is on the food, it
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday bestowed one of Taiwan’s highest honors on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her contributions to bilateral ties. “By conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on Ambassador Bowman today, I want to sincerely thank her, on behalf of the Taiwanese people, for her outstanding contribution to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and SVG,” Lai said at a ceremony held at the Presidential Office in Taipei. He noted that Bowman became SVG’s first ambassador to Taiwan in 2019 and
RSS