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The Lanyu Special Zone Plan Brings a Choice Between Sweeping Eviction or Open Arms

General News By Emily Carter 0 views

Series Preface

Orchid Island, whose name in the Tao language originally means "Island of People," lies across the Pacific Ocean from the main island of Taiwan, and this 90-km-long gaze across the water has draped Orchid Island in a veil of mystery. On October 16, 2013, a column in Apple Daily revealed that the Taitung County Government intended to draft the "Newly Formulated Orchid Island Special Area Plan Work Plan." One of the more controversial elements was that it planned land use on Orchid Island from the perspective of urban planning, and the plan also appeared in the draft of the "Taitung County Phase IV (2015-2018) Offshore Islands Comprehensive Construction Implementation Plan" that leads Orchid Island's overall development.
If this plan is implemented, it will affect the entire island of Orchid Island, and the government's subsequent actions are bound to come under outside scrutiny.

The Special Area Plan is not an isolated case; many issues large and small have long been occurring on Orchid Island. In 2013, Dongqing Tribe, one of the six tribes on Orchid Island, broke out in the No. 7 Land protest in defense of its traditional territory. The Dongqing No. 7 Land Self-Rescue Association, formed because of this incident, has been monitoring the progress of the "Orchid Island Special Area Plan" and posted the content of an introduction on its fan page.

In early December 2013, when the reporting team sought a preliminary inquiry into this issue, it found no further information on the official online bulletin board. With not much material to refer to, we decided to go to Orchid Island to understand the plan's progress and the views of the Tao people. When Orchid Island meets the Special Area Plan, is the future direction the Tao people hope for in line with the government's planning, or radically different?

The following is our team's special report on the "Orchid Island Special Area Plan," tracked and produced from January to August 2014. It was completed with the weReport investigative reporting public commissioning platform and sponsorship from many citizens. If you would like to leave a response, please email us, leave a comment on the article, or sponsor to support the author of this article. Thank you for helping create a better media environment.

Full Series of Special Reports (8 articles in total; please click each to read)

Special Report (1/8)
Hidden Worries of the Special Area Plan: Factories and Hotels May Be Built on Orchid Island (2/8)
Guarding Their Homeland Without Daring to Be Careless: The Tao People Take Precautions (3/8)
Silently and Without Notice: Where Has the "Orchid Island Special Area Plan" Progressed To? (4/8)
Defining Land Ownership: Traditional and Official Paths Diverge (5/8)
Carried in on the Waves: Historical Imprints of the Island of People (6/8)
The First Requirement for Orchid Island's Development: Establishing a Communication Mechanism (7/8)
Discussing Future Development: Orchid Island's Tourism Q&A (8/8)

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