A new review of the environmental impact assessment for the controversial Miramar resort on Taitung’s Shanyuan Beach began June 2, with opponents and supporters going head to head over the propriety of the project.
Foes of the development argued at the county EIA evaluation meeting that the construction that has already been completed is illegal and should be torn down before the EIA process is reinitiated. Local aboriginal and environmental groups called on the government not to protect illegal business activity.
Project supporters said they expect Miramar to offer job opportunities to local people, while developers vowed that the hotel would protect the coral reef in the bay and keep the beach open to the public.
The controversy began in 2004, when the Taitung County Government agreed to collaborate with Miramar Resort Hotel Co. and turn the public beach into a hotel complex on a build-operate-transfer contract.
Construction began in 2005 without an EIA, as the planned site measured 0.997 hectare, and by law only a development of more than 1 hectare requires an EIA before building can begin.
The developer filed for an EIA in 2006, when it planned to expand the size of the project. The ongoing construction was ruled illegal by the Environmental Protection Administration in 2007.
Based on the EPA decision, civic groups filed an administrative suit to have the county government’s building permit rescinded and all work on the development halted.
In 2008, the permit was ruled invalid due to the lack of an EIA prior to construction. Defying the court’s ruling, the Taitung government gave the project a conditional pass the same year. The resort has since completed building of the main structure, and began recruiting staff in May 2011.
Appeals regarding the building permit and the validity of the EIA were upheld by the Supreme Administrative Court in September 2011 and January 2012, respectively, and the court ruled that all work on the project should stop immediately.
Aboriginal residents and civic groups have staged protests against the project for several years, saying the hotel would damage both marine and land environments, as well as adversely affect the livelihoods of the Amis, the major indigenous group in the area.
Over 100 civic groups issued an appeal for procedural justice in conjunction with the June 2 meeting. “Without procedural justice, other projects will follow suit, making Taiwan a paradise for reckless development,” said Yang Zong-wei, a spokesman for the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union’s Taitung chapter.
As EIA committee members submitted more than 100 suggestions and questions regarding the case, and participating citizens expressed greatly diverging opinions, Deputy County Magistrate Chang Chi-yi, who chaired the meeting, said another review would be held at a later date. (THN)