Island fever

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (pictured) has restated her party’s opposition to the possible opening of casinos on Penghu Island, Taiwanese news agency Focus Taiwan has reported.
Penghu’s residents are set to vote on a referendum on October 15 on whether to allow the development of the gaming industry on its territory; it held its first referendum on gaming in September 2009, which saw 56.4 per cent of the votes cast against casino operations on the island.
Ms. Tsai, who also chairs Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, reiterated on Wednesday at a DPP Central Standing Committee meeting the party’s stance against the opening of casinos, suggesting the outlying island should focus on developing its tourism rather than counting on the gaming business, given the abundance of natural resources in the country, according to party spokesperson Wang Min-sheng.
Supporters of opening up the island to gaming concessions believe the change would bring more job opportunities and prosperity to Penghu, while those opposing the plan – in particular, religious and environmental groups – perceive the opening would result in more crimes and would only benefit non-residents, according to Taiwanese news outlet Taiwan News.
In 2009, the Taiwanese Government lifted a ban on gaming licences on two other offshore islands, namely Kinmen and Matsu, in addition to Penghu.
Gaming is currently still prohibited by Taiwan’s criminal law, even though residents on Matsu voted in favour of introducing gaming projects in 2012.
Due to the stance taken by Ms. Tsai and her party, gaming experts from Union Gaming stated recentluy that Taiwan could still be five years away from the construction of any integrated resort.