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.
‘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 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as