Lawmakers on the Legislative Yuan’s Transportation Committee yesterday asked the Ministry of Transportation and Communications (MOTC) to convene an interdepartmental meeting to come up with measures to better regulate campsites nationwide.
The committee was scheduled to review an amendment to the Act for the Development of Tourism (發展觀光條例) proposed by New Power Party Legislator Hung Tzu-yung (洪慈庸) and 15 other lawmakers, which would make the Tourism Bureau the main regulator of camping activities.
The bureau would oversee the safety of campsites as well as campsite operators, the proposed amendment says.
The nation has nearly 2,000 campsites and the industry’s annual output exceeds NT$4 billion (US$133.65 million), Hung said, citing Camping Association data.
However, most of the campsites do not have licenses to develop or build facilities in forests or nature reserves, she said.
“The way campsite operators run their businesses is similar to that of hoteliers, but the former does not have a set of rules to follow,” Hung said.
The ministry should meet with other government agencies to stipulate supplementary regulations for campsite operators so that the rights of campers can be protected, she said.
However, the proposed amendment was rejected by the ministry, which said changes would not resolve the problems.
Changes in the registered purpose of land would be the first issue that needs to be addressed to help campsite operators run a legal operation, MOTC Deputy Minister Chi Wen-chung (祁文中) said, adding that about 84 percent of campsites are built on properties where camping is not permitted.
The properties include farmland, pastures, forests and hillsides.
Although the ministry proposed amending the Agricultural Development Act (農業發展條例) and Regulations for Guidance and Management of Recreational Agriculture (休閒農業輔導管理辦法) to relax the use of farmland and patures, the Council of Agriculture said that only recreational farms can have campsites built on them, adding that the land must still be registered for agricultural use.
The council said it will not change the regulations so that agriculture can be permitted at campsites.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chun-hsien (林俊憲) said the bureau has authority only over the campsites built in areas under its control.
However, campsites used by boy scouts are regulated by the Ministry of Education, whereas those in soil conservation areas, recreational farms, agricultural land and forests are regulated by the Council of Agriculture, he said.
Campsites in national parks are regulated by the Ministry of the Interior, Lin said, adding that those in geographically sensitive zones are regulated by the Ministry of Economic Affairs.
Campsites on state-owned properties are obligated to follow the rules set by the National Property Administration, he said.
The MOTC needs to quickly hold cross-departmental meetings so that campsite operators would not remain unregulated and camping would become a family leisure activity, he said.
“The Tourism Bureau said that stipulating a specific law to regulate campsites is unnecessary, because each government agency already has laws to regulate the establishment of campsites. However, they never thoroughly enforce those laws. Local governments cracking down on illegal campsites have also proven to be ineffective,” he said.
DPP Legislator Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) said an interdepartmental effort is required as it would be difficult for the bureau to manage all the nation’s campsites, because they vary in size and business models, such as campsites in Aboriginal villages or temporary campsites used during music festivals or those used by fishers.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious
RSS