As Taiwan is connected with the world through the oceans, it aims to establish a first-rate marine industry, while balancing environmental sustainability, and encourage more international visitors to appreciate all the nation has to offer, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at the fourth National Oceans Day event in Kaohsiung.
In celebration of National Oceans Day, which is on June 8 each year, the Ocean Affairs Council (OAC) held an event at the Kaohsiung Maritime Cultural and Pop Music Center from Thursday through yesterday.
Tsai said that since the OAC was established five years ago, marine affairs management has been shifted from local governments to the central government, showing Taiwan’s high respect for the ocean and representing the spirit of “being based in Taiwan, and sailing toward the world.”
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
The event’s theme this year echoed the UN’s World Oceans Day theme “Planet Ocean: Tides are Changing” — a reminder that everyone is responsible for protecting the ocean, she said.
The government has promoted a series of “pay tribute to the ocean” policies over the past few years, which included amending the Marine Pollution Control Act (海洋污染防治法) and increasing maximum penalties for ocean polluters from NT$1.5 million to NT$100 million (US$48,820 to US$3.25 million), last month, Tsai said, adding that an ocean pollution prevention fund is to be established.
The Marine Industry Development Regulations (海洋產業發展條例) were also passed last month, stipulating that the government should allocate funds for developing the marine industry, encouraging locals to attend marine-related activities, and providing guidance, assistance, rewards and subsidies for marine businesses, she said.
These efforts show how the government is dealing with ocean pollution, and establishing a quality marine industry, while balancing environmental sustainability, Tsai said.
“Oceans connect Taiwan with the world, and while the world is returning to normal in the post-pandemic era, beautiful Taiwan is opening its arms and embracing the world through the oceans, so it welcomes international friends to come and visit,” she said, adding that people who love surfing, diving, fishing or whale watching should not miss the opportunity to visit Taiwan.
The government has set a goal of attracting more than 6 million international visitors this year, she added.
Tsai said that for Taiwan to be sustainable, its oceans must be sustainable, so she encourages everyone to work together to protect them.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
RSS