Taiwan News
Date: 2016-05-10
By: Matthew Strong, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – A decision not to demand a new environmental impact assessment report
Court throws out Yoho Beach decision
for the contested Yoho Beach Resort and Club in Pingtung County was thrown out by a court in Kaohsiung Tuesday, handing a victory to local residents and activists.
The resort in the town of Hengchun’s popular Kenting area gained national notoriety in 2013, when the Environmental Protection Agency said the whole complex had been operating illegally for 11 years due to the absence of a proper environmental impact report.
The Pingtung County Government went on to “conditionally approve” an impact review and later ruled that no further second-phase report would be needed, as the resort posed no threat to the environment.
Environmental groups and local residents joined forces to demand those conclusions be rescinded, and their request was approved Tuesday by the High Administrative Court in Kaohsiung. [FULL STORY]