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Freeway No. 6 inaugurated in Nantou County

Nantou, Taiwan -- President Ma Ying-jeou said yesterday that the official operation of the National Freeway No. 6 in Nantou County will make the central county immediately command an excellent position in Taiwan's tourism development map.

Ma made the remarks in the company of Premier Liu Chao-shiuan when presiding over the inauguration ceremony for the new 37.6-kilometer freeway, which links Wufong in Taichung County to Puli in Nantou County, central Taiwan.

The president hailed the construction of the new freeway as it incorporates high-tech and eco-friendly materials and techniques, saying it will help upgrade Nantou's tourism and agriculture.

Although the only landlocked county in Taiwan, Nantou will undoubtedly play a prominent role in Taiwan's tourism industry and in other sectors thanks to the new freeway, Ma said.

“Nantou will no longer be a heaven hard to reach, and its development is foreseeable,” he said.

Nantou is rich in agricultural and tourism resources. One of its major products is the famous Oolong tea, and its tourist attractions include Sun Moon Lake and Shitou Forest Recreational Area, two of the country's most popular scenic areas.

In fact, the new freeway will cut short travel time from Taipei to Sun Moon Lake by half from five to two and a half hours.

The president also noted that the government will list development of green energy industries, cultural and creative industries, medical travel and leisure tourism among its priority tasks in the near future.

Speaking on the same occasion, Premier Liu also welcomed the completion of the national freeway, the first in Taiwan to prioritize the concept of sustainable growth by effectively mitigating the impact on the environment along its route.

“I believe that Nantou will find new horizons for diverse development,” the premier said, adding that the government is set to implement other major public construction projects in the coming years across the country to prop up Taiwan's economy.

Liu said that he hoped that through the implementation of the 12 “love-Taiwan” construction projects, as many as 120,000 new job opportunities can be created annually, thereby significantly reducing the jobless rate.

The construction of National Freeway No. 6 started in 2004, with a budget of NT$37.6 billion (US$1.11 billion)

President Ma, a jogging enthusiast, joined 1,000 runners in a five-kilometer “Starlight Marathon” that started from Tsaotun township in Nantou to mark the opening of the new freeway. Ma finished the run in 25 minutes.

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Comments
March 22, 2009    mcwizard@
Promoting Taiwan tourism is a great idea. The island has natural potential and beauty.

Let us start with a clean-up, fix-up, paint-up campaign.
1. Remove bars from apartment windows so that we do not scare away tourists (bars on the 15th floor?).
2. Power wash dirty old buildings and sidewalks.
3. Paint old gray concrete buildings with tropical pastel colors like in Florida.
4. Clear sidewalks of cars, motorbikes and illegal construction so that tourists can safely walk around the potential sightseeing areas.
5. Install clean and modern public toilets.
6. Clean-up weeds and trash on undeveloped lots.

Implementing the above ideas cost little in time and cash, but requires great will power and education.
March 23, 2009    ludahai_twn@
MCwizard: You are asking this administration to show some imagination and initiative. You DO realize that, right?
March 23, 2009    mafrei1000@
In addition to mcwizard's very true comment:

Enforce traffic rules (how come the police doesn't bother about illegal crossing of red traffic light or illegal car parking in the middle of the street for shopping, while causing traffic jams?)
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 Freeway No. 6 inaugurated in Nantou County 
President Ma Ying-jeou, center, pushes a button in Nantou County to formally open Freeway No. 6 that will not only shorten travel time from Taipei to scenic Sun Moon Lake, but also help accelerate tourism development in central Taiwan. Ma later joined 1,000 runners to run a five-km leg of a marathon in Tsaotun township to mark the opening of the new freeway yesterday. (CNA)

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