A group of fine arts students and a professor at Taipei National University of the Arts is trying to draw attention to idle public facilities — colloquially known as “mosquito halls” because they often turn into mosquito-breeding sites — that are not only a waste of space and resources, but could also present a health hazard.
In a 700-page book titled Mirage: A Sample Survey of Taiwan’s Idle Public Facilities, professor Yao Jui-chung (姚瑞中) and the students highlight 119 empty public facilities and, with the support of a selection of -photographs, seek to determine what the sites were originally intended to be used for and what their actual use has been over the years.
DRAWING ATTENTION
“We will hold a second round of field trips to bring more [government] attention to the problem of mosquito halls,” Yao told reporters after a meeting with Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義).
Wu invited Yao and the students to share their findings with Cabinet officials and provide opinions on how to make better use of idle facilities.
All the sites surveyed by the group were built within the last 20 years and include parking lots, markets, resort sites, art and culture centers, beautification projects, as well as industrial and commercial parks, with total construction costs estimated at NT$47.4 billion (US$1.53 billion).
Asked for comment on the -issue earlier this week, Wu said that some “mosquito halls” could be dismantled and turned into green spaces if it no suitable use could be found for them.
EXPENSIVE TASK
Responding to Wu’s comments, Yao yesterday said the government should take into account that removing idle public facilities would be costly.
“This was one of the reasons we held the survey. Hard-earned taxpayer money was used to build those public facilities. People have the right to know how they have been used and to offer their views on the possible ways to transform the mosquito halls,” Yao said.
PREVENTION TACTICS
Speaking to reporters, Public Construction Commission Minister Fan Liang-shiow (范良銹) said a comprehensive assessment would be held before new public construction projects are carried out to prevent the creation of more mosquito halls.
Lin Hongjohn (林宏璋), an artist and curator of the 2010 Taipei Biennial, said the underlying problem was a lack of imagination within the government.
“They built so many buildings and then failed to put any cultural elements in them,” Lin said.
‘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