Democratic Progressive Party Taitung County commissioner candidate Liu Chao-hao (劉櫂豪) and independent candidate Huang Yu-pin (黃裕斌) have signed a petition against a solar power station that is to be built on the Jhihben Wetlands (知本溼地), environmental groups said yesterday.
BirdLife International in 2004 designated the wetlands, located along the county’s coastline, as one of the nation’s most important bird habitats and biodiversity areas under its code IBA-TW040.
However, the area is not among the nation’s protected wetlands.
Photo: Wang Hsiu-ting, Taipei Times
Environmental groups have expressed concern that wildlife would be affected by what could be the nation’s largest solar power station on a 161 hectare plot that overlaps the wetlands.
As many typhoons strike the nation from the east, solar panels installed near the sea are more likely to be damaged, Society of Wilderness Taitung branch section chief Su Ya-ting (蘇雅婷) said.
The Society of Wilderness’ Taitung branch and the Wild Bird Society of Taitung earlier this month sent a letter to five county commissioner candidates asking if they would oppose the construction of the facility, set up an ecological conservation zone and propose a new development plan after conducting surveys of environmental conditions and consulting with local Aboriginal communities.
The wetlands are owned by Puyuma of the Katatipul community, the groups said.
Independent candidate Kuang Li-chen (鄺麗貞), a former county commissioner, and independent candidate Peng Chuan-kuo (彭權國) refused to sign the petition, while Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Rao Ching-ling (饒慶鈴) had not responded, they said.
While politicians’ promises are not always reliable, engaging them is part of the process of public discussion about a project, Su said.
Kuang said on Facebook that if elected, she would seek a balance between the environmental protection and industrial development of the wetlands and invite local Aborigines to join the decisionmaking process.
Peng last week said on Facebook that he objects to the development of energy projects on wetlands, but would not sign any petition while campaigning.
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
President William Lai (賴清德) has appointed former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) to attend the late Pope Francis’ funeral at the Vatican City on Saturday on his behalf, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today. The Holy See announced Francis’ funeral would take place on Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square. The ministry expressed condolences over Francis’ passing and said that Chen would represent Taiwan at the funeral and offer condolences in person. Taiwan and the Vatican have a long-standing and close diplomatic relationship, the ministry said. Both sides agreed to have Chen represent Taiwan at the funeral, given his Catholic identity and
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based