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from the High Administrative Court has made the project the first case in the country in which the development permit was revoked.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.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RISING TOURISM: A survey showed that tourist visits increased by 35 percent last year, while newly created attractions contributed almost half of the growth Changhua County’s Lukang Old Street (鹿港老街) and its surrounding historical area clinched first place among Taiwan’s most successful tourist attractions last year, while no location in eastern Taiwan achieved a spot in the top 20 list, the Tourism Administration said. The listing was created by the Tourism Administration’s Forward-looking Tourism Policy Research office. Last year, the Lukang Old Street and its surrounding area had 17.3 million visitors, more than the 16 million visitors for the Wenhua Road Night Market (文化路夜市) in Chiayi City and 14.5 million visitors at Tainan’s Anping (安平) historical area, it said. The Taipei 101 skyscraper and its environs —
Taiwan on Friday said a New Zealand hamburger restaurant has apologized for a racist remark to a Taiwanese customer after reports that it had first apologized to China sparked outrage in Taiwan. An image posted on Threads by a Taiwanese who ate at Fergburger in Queenstown showed that their receipt dated Sunday last week included the words “Ching Chang,” a racial slur. The Chinese Consulate-General in Christchurch in a statement on Thursday said it had received and accepted an apology from the restaurant over the incident. The comment triggered an online furor among Taiwanese who saw it as an insult to the
RSS