Demand Longgui Park be Saved from Demolition

Longgui Park 隆貴公園 is located in Guangfu Village 光復里 Magong City, Penghu County, Taiwan. One of the few community parks in downtown Magong, this 380 hectares (940 acres) park was founded on July 20, 2001 by Lai Feng-wei, a former magistrate of Penghu, at a cost of NTD 880,000 (* $25,200 USD). County council member, Chen Hai-shan 陳海山 proposed demolishing this community park for a road that would lead directly to the parking lot of the newly constructed Pier 3 Mall and Discovery hotel. Currently, Penghu County Government plans to spend NTD25,820,000 (*$840,000USD) taxpayer dollars to demolish the park, as well as the abandoned but still useful historical Taiwan Power Station building, for this unnecessary and unwanted road. Protests by local residents are being ignored, as a backhoe was recently off-loaded to begin demolition. Protesters arrive quickly before any damage was done and the backhoe operator retreated. But the park is still not safe! County executive Chen Kuang-fu 陳光復 is also pushing for the installation of this new road, even though Baichen Street 北辰街, which is 14-metre (46 ft) wide and is just 120 metres (390 ft) from Longgui Park, already runs directly beside Pier 3 mall making this project ridiculous, unacceptable, and completely unnecessary. With less than 12 years to mitigate climate change, every tree, shrub, and blade of grass is essential. Unnecessary roads are no longer optional. Hsueh Hung-ying 薛宏營, former Director of Penghu County Government Economic Affairs Department, local politician Sheng Yi-che 冼義哲, Lin Wen-zao 林文藻, Vice Manager of Penghu County Government Economic Affairs Department, residents of Guangfu Village, and others ask your support to protect and preserve the ecological integrity of Longgui Park for the community of people, the variety of birds, the feral cats and stray dogs cared for by the locals, various insects, as well as the trees and shrubs who soften the city, and seek quiet refuge there. Thank you for your support!