Penghu Gambling Referendum Fails to Pass

Excellent news:
udn.com/NEWS/NATIONAL/BREAKINGNE … 0826.shtml

That’s great news. I don’t see how a casino would have helped Penghu. Who would go there, when Macau is virtually the same distance away?

Well I hope people will visit now and support their tourism industry.

Turton was in absolutely no doubt it would pass
:slight_smile:
michaelturton.blogspot.com/

Yet Taiwan’s voracious appetite for gambling will persevere. Only, the street gangsters will control it instead of the corporate gangsters.

That is good news. And good to see Marvelous on the right side of the tracks this time. :slight_smile:

I’m with the New Party on this one. :laughing:

Excellent decision. Glad to hear that the voters ignored the one-sided propaganda by the mobsters, ahem, pro-casino lobbyists. :discodance:

Just to translate:

13397 yes votes,
17359 no votes

298 spoiled.

So close even with the KMT’s transparent changing of the referendum rules to try to ram this through.

[quote=“Mucha Man”]
So close even with the KMT’s transparent changing of the referendum rules to try to ram this through.[/quote]

I guess the could have done it without any referendum like the UK Labour government and its “super casinos.”

[quote=“Mawvellous”][quote=“Muzha Man”]
So close even with the KMT’s transparent changing of the referendum rules to try to ram this through.[/quote]

I guess the could have done it without any referendum like the UK Labour government and its “super casinos.”[/quote]

Really?

So, no, they couldn’t have done this without a referendum since that was the condition for allowing casinos in the first place.

Maybe I’m a bit thick, but could someone please explain to me why a casino in Penghu is a bad thing?

Well imagine trying to get there as an international tourist. You come into to Taoyuan Airport, 1 hour bus ride into town. Then Blue line to Zhongxiao Fuxing on the MRT. Change at Zhongxiao Fuxing to the Brown line to get to Songshan Airport. Catch flight from Songshan to Penghu.

Fuck that… Macau is much easier.

Plus environment stuff.

[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“Mawvellous”][quote=“Muzha Man”]
So close even with the KMT’s transparent changing of the referendum rules to try to ram this through.[/quote]

I guess the could have done it without any referendum like the UK Labour government and its “super casinos.”[/quote]

Really?

So, no, they couldn’t have done this without a referendum since that was the condition for allowing casinos in the first place.[/quote]

Well of course. :unamused:

My point was that they could have passed a law that allowed allows construction of casino resorts on off-shore islands without approval in a referendum…

Yes, you are right, Mr Funk. I have enough trouble telling the taxi driver that I need to get to the corner 7-11.
Oh, and the environment! :roflmao: This coming from people who cut the fins off of sharks, the dicks off of tigers and the horns off of rhinos for MEDICINAL purposes. :roflmao:

Penghu is an attractive place with some of Taiwan’s oldest and coolest architecture, pristine beaches, interesting rock formations, curious temples and rural splendor. I’d hate to see such a pristine place overrun by ugly, garish casinos. Look at what Macau’s becoming. Awful over-development of a once-beautiful place.

I say, if Taiwan wants to build casinos, it should find some ugly industrial area, like Heping Island in Keelung, and build casinos there.

[quote=“Mawvellous”]Well of course. :unamused:

My point was that they could have passed a law that allowed allows construction of casino resorts on off-shore islands without approval in a referendum…[/quote]

Could they have? They were following the CEPD’s plan to use casinos as part of a strategy to boost tourism on the offshore islands. That plan involved referendums for the construction of casinos. There was no other plan on the table so its just a flight of fancy to imagine some different bill that didn’t exist being passed.

Remember too that gambling is still legal. The referendum was for casinos.

[quote]Key Points of the Offshore Islands Development Act RevisionKey Revision

Explanatory notes:
-Business tax and customs tariff exemption for offshore islands
-Ana dded provision exempts Green Island, Orchid Island, and Little Liuqiu from business and import commodity taxes on commodities trade and the provision of labor.
-Establishment of duty-free shops on offshore islands
-An added provision allows the establishment of duty-free shops on Green Island, Orchid Island, and Little Liuqiu.
-Must be approved by more than half the voters in a referendum.
-Casinos must be established within integrated resorts
-Operation of tourist casinos with special permission, and engaging in gaming, will be exempt from the Criminal Code provisions against gambling offenses.
-Offshore islands development fund
-The central government authority will set up an offshore islands development fund with a minimum amount of NT$30 billion.[/quote]

I’m under the impression that the majority of the “no” votes were were morally, rather than ecologically motivated. Correct me if I’m wrong.

Why so you can laugh some more at how people who do blah blah blah and blah are opposed to gambling? :unamused:

[quote=“Mucha Man”][quote=“Mawvellous”]Well of course. :unamused:

My point was that they could have passed a law that allowed allows construction of casino resorts on off-shore islands without approval in a referendum…[/quote]

Could they have? They were following the CEPD’s plan to use casinos as part of a strategy to boost tourism on the offshore islands. That plan involved referendums for the construction of casinos. There was no other plan on the table so its just a flight of fancy to imagine some different bill that didn’t exist being passed.

Remember too that gambling is still legal. The referendum was for casinos.

[quote]Key Points of the Offshore Islands Development Act RevisionKey Revision

Explanatory notes:
-Business tax and customs tariff exemption for offshore islands
-Ana dded provision exempts Green Island, Orchid Island, and Little Liuqiu from business and import commodity taxes on commodities trade and the provision of labor.
-Establishment of duty-free shops on offshore islands
-An added provision allows the establishment of duty-free shops on Green Island, Orchid Island, and Little Liuqiu.
-Must be approved by more than half the voters in a referendum.
-Casinos must be established within integrated resorts
-Operation of tourist casinos with special permission, and engaging in gaming, will be exempt from the Criminal Code provisions against gambling offenses.
-Offshore islands development fund
-The central government authority will set up an offshore islands development fund with a minimum amount of NT$30 billion.[/quote][/quote]

Well they could have come up with some other plan, obviously- although I am glad they put in the referendum provision and that it was blocked.