Renai Township reels from storm ‘double whammy’

Renai Township reels from storm ‘double whammy’

2023-09-05

Over in Nantou County, a small township called Renai is struggling to recover from a double whammy of storms. The town’s recovery from Typhoon Khanun was set back by the latest Typhoon Haikui, which brought more flooding. One of the worst-hit areas is the Lushan hot spring area. It’s been slammed by several rounds of landslides, which have caused the Taluowan River to rise. An iconic suspension bridge is on the brink of being washed away.

Chiang Tzu-hsin
Renai Township head
Typhoon Khanun brought an estimated 600,000 cubic meters of gravel to the Lushan hot spring area. We cleared it out for a month, but Typhoon Haikui completely wiped away our work in two days. Prior to Typhoon Khanun, the lovers’ suspension bridge stood at a height of 10, 20 meters. After Khanun’s devastation, it was brought to just 2 meters. Now it’s going under entirely.

Hsu Shu-hua
Nantou County commissioner
Regarding this bridge, after consultations with local authorities and the Council of Indigenous Peoples, we decided not to repair it. This is mainly because the nearby Pu Lai Lu bridge needs to be fully rebuilt.

Officials have decided against rebuilding the lover’s suspension bridge. Instead, efforts will go to fix the nearby Pu Lai Lu bridge, which also took heavy damage.

連兩颱重創南投山區廬山情人吊橋被沖毀不再修復

2023-09-05

卡努颱風重創南投仁愛山區，沒想到修復工程都還沒完成，海葵颱風卻又帶來二次重創，廬山溫泉區首當其衝，大量土石流，讓塔羅灣溪河道墊高，情人吊橋則是不敵洪水，瞬間被沖垮。

[[南投仁愛鄉長江子信]]
“卡努來到廬山溫泉區的砂石，預估是60萬立方米，經過一個月的努力，在那邊清運，結果這兩天的海葵(帶來的砂石)，把原來挖的又把它填滿了。情人橋本來卡努風災之前，(高度)是1、20公尺，後來卡努風災一來，(高度)剩下2公尺，這兩天的沖刷就整個滅頂”

[[南投縣長許淑華]]
“情人橋我們跟地方商量之後，包括原民會這邊，也建議情人橋就不再修復了，主要還是現在的布拉魯橋，要把它完全做一個比較好的修復”

南投廬山溫泉區，接連遭受兩個颱風侵襲，情人吊橋頂不住，瞬間被洪水沖垮，而在一旁的聯外道路"布拉魯橋"，同樣嚴重毀損，目前縣府決議不再修復情人橋。

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President Tsai Ing-wen has embarked on a four-day state visit to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only remaining ally in Africa. She will attend a celebration marking the 55th year of Eswatini’s independence, which coincides with the 55th anniversary of the Taiwan-Eswatini friendship. Just before her flight, Tsai praised Eswatini for standing by Taiwan despite global challenges.

Tsai Ing-wen
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I will lead a delegation to once again visit our diplomatic ally Eswatini.

At Taoyuan International Airport, President Tsai Ing-wen speaks ahead of her second trip to Eswatini, Taiwan’s only remaining African ally. She’ll be there on a four-day state visit.

Tsai Ing-wen
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Over the past few years, amid global challenges such as the pandemic and the expansion of authoritarianism, Eswatini has stood steadfastly by Taiwan’s side. This year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between our two countries, as well as the 55th anniversary of Eswatini’s independence. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I will convey my most sincere congratulations.

Tsai touted the two nations’ 55-year friendship, stressing that Eswatini has long spoken up for Taiwan on the global stage. Since ascending to the Eswatini throne in 1986, King Mswati III has visited Taiwan 18 times, reflecting the friendship between the two sides.

Chen Yen-ling
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The president is embarking on a four-day trip. The main purpose is to attend a celebration honoring the 55th anniversary of Eswatini’s founding, which also marks 55 years of the Taiwan-Eswatini friendship. What’s notable about this trip is that Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chi-mai is accompanying Tsai, as Kaohsiung is about to formalize a sister-city relationship with Eswatini’s capital.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said that ahead of Tsai’s visit, a statement was issued by more than 80 lawmakers from 11 African countries, including South Africa, the Republic of Malawi, and Botswana. On behalf of each country’s Formosa Club branch, the statement welcomed President Tsai to Eswatini. It also commended Tsai for her “Africa plan,” which has achieved tangible results since it was initiated shortly after her 2018 visit to Eswatini.

Before departing, Tsai made clear that Taiwan’s storm recovery and other domestic affairs were still top of mind.

Tsai Ing-wen
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I have instructed my administrative team to keep in close contact with local governments and to provide assistance with disaster recovery.

Even during state visits, domestic issues remain a priority, as Tsai aims to close out her tenure on a strong note.

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Taipei to end subsidies for neighborhood cleanup

Taipei City has decided to end its subsidy program for neighborhood cleanup, starting next year. The program is currently supported by a NT$30 million annual budget. That money goes to borough wardens who organize crews for community cleanup. A group of borough wardens held a press event on Tuesday, to urge the mayor to continue the popular initiative.

Borough wardens take a stand, chanting slogans in protest. Taipei has decided to terminate a popular recycling program. Starting next year, its NT$4,400 recycling subsidies will come to an end.

Hung Tien-hua
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They’re going to discontinue it, and I’m very unhappy about that. How should I put this? At the time, I didn’t want a recycling station here, but the government kept encouraging us borough wardens to get onboard. Now that we’ve got the program up and running, they want to end it.

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It shouldn’t be that the central government says, “Jump!” and the rest of us immediately say, “How high?” Policies should be adapted for local conditions. The central government initiated this program in 2017, and so hasn’t it achieved results? Some borough wardens think they’ve done really well and they want to continue and keep it going. The government should accept this. Or at least retain part of the budget for people who feel they’re doing a good job.

The recycling program was launched to clean up communities. Borough wardens were asked to rally volunteers for street cleanup. Across Taipei’s 170 boroughs, some 1,000 volunteers are currently involved. Borough wardens say the program is important for environmental cleanliness and awareness. Its termination raises questions about the city’s commitment to the environment, they say.

Yang Wei-hsiu
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Taipei City’s Environmental Protection Bureau offers 188 night-time collection routes and 4,035 recycling points. If residents are unable to utilize them, there are another 32 time-restricted collection points. We collect five days a week, accepting garbage, recyclables, and kitchen scraps. Garbage goes into designated garbage bags, whereas kitchen waste and recyclables are transported away for free. So we’re continuing on with operations to preserve the rights and interests of our residents. We are not regressing on our commitment to environmental protection.

According to the city’s environmental authority, its decision to terminate was made to align with national policy. But borough wardens are urging the mayor to rethink the move and to retain what they see as an effective policy.

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Changhua County police trumpet surveillance cameras and vehicle identification system

Police in Changhua County are trumpeting the success of their embrace of traffic cameras. Since 2019, the county has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a growing network of surveillance cameras and a vehicle identification system. They credit the technology for significant reductions in theft and violent crime in the past few years. They’ve even caught hundreds of perpetrators of illegal waste dumping using the system.

Footage from traffic cameras across the county are sent back to a control room, where a police officer carries out comparative analysis.

Chen Kui-pin
Changhua County Police Department
Using all the data from the cloud, sent to our control room, is a big help in investigations.

This “Net in the Sky” combines footage of vehicle license plates and vehicle movements with “Active Pursuit Systems.” Police can check surveillance records anytime, working out the vehicle a criminal is using with footage identification technologies, and tracking its movements. The system can be used on a phone, and identify wanted vehicles on the street, bolstering the capacities of law enforcement.

Chen Kui-pin
Changhua County Police Department
For example, apart from identifying license plates, we can also do real-time tracking, and that can be a great help in pursuing a case.

As the saying goes, “A craftsman needs good tools.” Since 2019, Changhua County Police Department has allocated NT$380 million toward a net of more than 10,000 surveillance cameras across the county. A further NT$243 million was in the 2023 budget for another 1,400 cameras, which will bring the total to 12,190 countywide.

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This system has a 98% success rate in helping us solve cases.

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A young amateur filmmaker is working on a documentary about Taiwan’s migrant workers. Second-generation immigrant Li Cheng-yen moved to Hualien from China when he was 4 years old. He’s always been interested in the stories of other immigrants, especially Taiwan’s Southeast Asian migrant workers. Now he’s creating media for the Global Indonesia Care Association, a group which supports Indonesians in Taiwan. The association’s team are finding that new media broadens their social reach and builds bridges between the two cultures.

The director behind the camera is Li Cheng-yen, a second-generation immigrant from China’s Sichuan Province. He came to Taiwan and settled in Hualien with his parents when he was 4 years old. The media creator is now making his first event-based documentary about the wedding customs of Indonesian migrant workers.

Li is working with Sandy, the director of Global Indonesia Care Association, to support Indonesian immigrants in Taiwan. Two years ago, the association started to develop media projects. Everyone got stuck into learning community management, with the guidance of a professional teacher.

Li Cheng-yen
Second-generation immigrant
I’ve been studying on my phone for less than six months. I just started picking up the camera with the guidance of my teacher, and gradually going around different locations and learning the skills. And then I’ve jumped into lots of projects for the association.

Li has always cared about immigrants’ and migrant workers’ issues, what with growing up with an immigrant mother. He’s getting the hang of design, filming and editing, and working with Indonesian migrant workers and exchange students in the association. They make podcasts from an Indonesian perspective, as well as travel shows and Mandarin language learning content.

The association’s new media content has attracted enquiries from more and more Indonesian workers and students, enabling the association to respond to more issues.

Li Cheng-yen
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We’re a team that has to make our own events, do our own filming, and create our own strategies. So actually thinking about it, it’s not that easy!

But the creative team are passionate about the potentials of new media and its ever-spreading reach. Li says he will keep recording the stories of the migrant workers who bring their dreams to Taiwan. He’s convinced that when we take the time to get to know and understand people, we will naturally develop affection and acceptance. Just one step is all you need to reach out.

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