Taiwan Church News
3425 Edition
October 16 – 22, 2017
Topical News
Civilian Group And Lawmakers Say For An Imminent Casino Referendum In Kinmen
Reported by Lin Yi-yin
On October 28, Kinmen, an off-shore island of Taiwan and located near Fu-Jien Province of China, is set for her first casino referendum.
The civilian organization, Taiwan Anti-Gamble, and many DPP lawmakers held an united press conference on October 12 in Legislative Yuan(Taiwan’s congress) to remind Taiwan society a seriously negative impact Kinmen would endure once referendum is passed.
As the complicated issues of security, environment, water, electricity and infrastructure would go beyond the capability of Kinmen as a small off-shore island to imagine, many officials of central government across diverse departments were invited to report their views about the implementation of a casino at Kinmen. Most officials raised wary concerns about any casino project on Kinmen island.
Mr Chiu Chiu-Pin, a section chief of National Development Council, stressed that Kinmen should not be overdeveloped because this island has been positioned as a Smart & Wise Technology Island in a future national plan. To march toward a sustainable society, there should be a fine balance between island environment and economics demands, Mr Chiu insisted.
Translated by Peter Wolfe