Work on a heart-shaped stone structure on Beigang Island in Matsu has been halted after residents raised environmental concerns.
The structure is meant to promote “blue tears” — also known as the blue tide — luminescence visible at night in the sea that occurs from April to August.
Scientists disagree over whether it is glowing ostracods or flagellates that cause the blue light.
Photo courtesy of the Lienchiang County Government
The blue tide attracts tourists to the Lienchiang County islands, prompting the county government to make “Blue Tear” tourism an important agenda to boost the archipelago’s economy.
Beigang Township (北竿) Mayor Chen Ju-lan (陳如嵐) said the stone pile his office is building on the beach by Houao Village (后澳) was inspired by a similar structure on Penghu’s Cimei Island, a double-heart-shaped pile made to trap fish and crabs, which has become a tourist attraction.
However, Houao resident Chen Tzu-kai (陳紫開), a teacher at Jhongshan High School, said on Facebook that the half-finished structure could become a garbage trap, with debris from China washed into the seas by typhoons collecting in it, while it might not be sturdy enough to withstand the high waves common in winter.
Over the past week, Chen Tzu-kai’s post has attracted the attention of locals and netizens, with news channels running reports critical of the structure.
Residents said that pollution has affected the sea near Houao that was once rich with crabs and other shellfish, and they fear construction in the area would irrevocably damage the environment.
Chen Ju-lan said the township had made plans to remove the stone pile if it was unsuccessful for any reason, and the stones would be recycled to build embankments for local roads with a minimum of waste to public coffers.
Houao has a tradition of building stone piles for fishing and the township office on Dec. 29 last year held a public hearing regarding its plans, he said, adding that residents who participated in the hearing largely supported the plan.
The structure is unlikely to create any pollution, because it is made of natural stones, he said, adding that the township office is to be responsible for its maintenance.
The opposition of some Beigang residents to the project was the result of a “communication failure” on the part of the township office and more public hearings are to be held to clarify the issue, he said.
The 30m structure is to cost the township an estimated NT$1 million (US$31,368), Chen Ju-lan said.
Beigang Township Council Chairman Chiu Pao-te (邱德寶) called on the township office to re-evaluate the the project, saying: “We should not cause any negative effects to the environment or damage the island’s public image.”
Global bodies should stop excluding Taiwan for political reasons, President William Lai (賴清德) told Pope Francis in a letter, adding that he agrees war has no winners. The Vatican is one of only 12 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and Taipei has watched with concern efforts by Beijing and the Holy See to improve ties. In October, the Vatican and China extended an accord on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China for four years, pointing to a new level of trust between the two parties. Lai, writing to the pope in response to the pontiff’s message on Jan. 1’s
A Vietnamese migrant worker on Thursday won the NT$12 million (US$383,590) jackpot on a scratch-off lottery ticket she bought from a lottery shop in Changhua County’s Puyan Township (埔鹽), Taiwan Lottery Co said yesterday. The lottery winner, who is in her 30s and married, said she would continue to work in Taiwan and send her winnings to her family in Vietnam to improve their life. More Taiwanese and migrant workers have flocked to the lottery shop on Sec 2 of Jhangshuei Road (彰水路) to share in the luck. The shop owner, surnamed Chen (陳), said that his shop has been open for just
TAKE BREAKS: A woman developed cystitis by refusing to get up to use the bathroom while playing mahjong for fear of disturbing her winning streak, a doctor said People should stand up and move around often while traveling or playing mahjong during the Lunar New Year holiday, as prolonged sitting can lead to cystitis or hemorrhoids, doctors said. Yuan’s General Hospital urologist Lee Tsung-hsi (李宗熹) said that he treated a 63-year-old woman surnamed Chao (趙) who had been sitting motionless and holding off going to the bathroom, increasing her risk of bladder infection. Chao would drink beverages and not urinate for several hours while playing mahjong with friends and family, especially when she was on a winning streak, afraid that using the bathroom would ruin her luck, he said. She had
MUST REMAIN FREE: A Chinese takeover of Taiwan would lead to a global conflict, and if the nation blows up, the world’s factories would fall in a week, a minister said Taiwan is like Prague in 1938 facing Adolf Hitler; only if Taiwan remains free and democratic would the world be safe, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera. The ministry on Saturday said Corriere della Sera is one of Italy’s oldest and most read newspapers, frequently covers European economic and political issues, and that Wu agreed to an interview with the paper’s senior political analyst Massimo Franco in Taipei on Jan. 3. The interview was published on Jan. 26 with the title “Taiwan like Prague in 1938 with Hitler,” the ministry
RSS