Opponents of the fourth-stage development project at the Central Taiwan Science Park say the government should immediately halt the project after the Taipei High Administrative Court revoked the development permit issued to Central Taiwan Science Park Administration yesterday.
The ruling from the High Administrative Court has made the project the first case in the country in which the development permit was revoked. It could potentially disrupt the government’s plan to turn the Erlin Science Park — the site reserved for the park’s fourth stage development project — into a precision-industry park as well.
Some may also see the ruling as a slap in the face for President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), because he used the development project at Central Taiwan Science Park in his National Day address as an example of how the government plans to lift investment barriers and balance development in different regions.
Farmers in Erlin Township (二林), Changhwa County, who filed the administrative lawsuit, were elated yesterday and said the development project should be stopped immediately following the court’s decision.
The High Administrative Court said in the verdict that the Ministry of the Interior, which issued the development permit, failed to consider that many science parks tend to be over-developed and that some of the nation’s industrial zones still have massive properties that have yet to be used. It is unnecessary for the government to spend enormous amounts of money to develop the Erlin Park, the court said.
“The development [in Erlin Park] will cause serious waste of the nation’s land and resources, compromise food safety and affect the nation’s sustainability,” the court said. “Revoking the permit will not contradict the public interest. Rather, the ruling would safeguard a major public interest.”
In response, the National Science Council, which supervises the operations of science parks around the nation, said it was surprised by the ruling yesterday.
“The High Administrative Court had twice overruled the residents’ petitions in its rulings on Aug. 23 and Dec. 30 in 2010, which were later finalized at the Supreme Administrative Court with its rulings on Oct. 22 and Dec. 29 of the same year,” the council said. “The High Administrative Court has made a completely different decision this time. We are seeking to understand the rationale behind the ruling.”
The council said it would appeal the case to the Supreme Administrative Court, adding that the ruling from the High Administrative Court would not have any bearing on the efficacy of the development permit at this point. Meanwhile, the council’s plan to turn Erlin Park into a low-water use, low carbon emission industrial zone remains unchanged.
Attorney Chang Yu-yin (張譽尹), who represented 85 farmers in the lawsuit, said the Ministry of the Interior had twice asked the Ministry of Justice about the legality of several issues during the lawsuit, including the fact that the interior ministry did not secure written approval from the Council of Agriculture about the use of the land and did not possess documentation proving ownership of the land and buildings.
The justice ministry had replied that the interior ministry had violated relevant regulations during its inquiries, but the interior ministry had deliberately hidden and ignored this crucial information, Chang said.
The Taiwan Farmers’ Union, said that the ruling serves as a good opportunity for the government to stop development, return the land to farmers and properly consider the issue of sustainability.
‘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 High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty
A wild live dugong was found in Taiwan for the first time in 88 years, after it was accidentally caught by a fisher’s net on Tuesday in Yilan County’s Fenniaolin (粉鳥林). This is the first sighting of the species in Taiwan since 1937, having already been considered “extinct” in the country and considered as “vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. A fisher surnamed Chen (陳) went to Fenniaolin to collect the fish in his netting, but instead caught a 3m long, 500kg dugong. The fisher released the animal back into the wild, not realizing it was an endangered species at
DEADLOCK: As the commission is unable to forum a quorum to review license renewal applications, the channel operators are not at fault and can air past their license date The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday said that the Public Television Service (PTS) and 36 other television and radio broadcasters could continue airing, despite the commission’s inability to meet a quorum to review their license renewal applications. The licenses of PTS and the other channels are set to expire between this month and June. The National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法) stipulates that the commission must meet the mandated quorum of four to hold a valid meeting. The seven-member commission currently has only three commissioners. “We have informed the channel operators of the progress we have made in reviewing their license renewal applications, and