First round of casino has been denied.
TAIPEI -- Residents of Penghu County, a group of islands off southwestern Taiwan, rejected a government proposal to build a casino resort in a referendum Saturday, according to Taiwan's Central Election Commission.
In the referendum, only 13,397 of the islands' 73,651 eligible voters, or 43.6%, supported the government's plan, which is aimed at boosting tourism, the commission said.
The result of the referendum means the Taiwanese government will have to wait for three years to conduct another referendum on the same topic, Chang Jui-Tung, director-general of the Penghu County government's Civil Affairs Bureau said.
The Penghu Election Commission, which falls under the Central Election Commission, decided in mid-August to hold the vote after receiving a petition from around 3,800 Penghu residents requesting a referendum on the project, Chang said last week.
A tender held by the Tourism Agency Sept. 21 to select a consultant for the casino resort project received two bids from foreign companies, but both were rejected because they didn't provide all the required documents, an official at the agency who declined to be named said Friday.
He wouldn't identify the two companies, but said the agency will hold another tender around early October.
TAIPEI -- Residents of Penghu County, a group of islands off southwestern Taiwan, rejected a government proposal to build a casino resort in a referendum Saturday, according to Taiwan's Central Election Commission.
In the referendum, only 13,397 of the islands' 73,651 eligible voters, or 43.6%, supported the government's plan, which is aimed at boosting tourism, the commission said.
The result of the referendum means the Taiwanese government will have to wait for three years to conduct another referendum on the same topic, Chang Jui-Tung, director-general of the Penghu County government's Civil Affairs Bureau said.
The Penghu Election Commission, which falls under the Central Election Commission, decided in mid-August to hold the vote after receiving a petition from around 3,800 Penghu residents requesting a referendum on the project, Chang said last week.
A tender held by the Tourism Agency Sept. 21 to select a consultant for the casino resort project received two bids from foreign companies, but both were rejected because they didn't provide all the required documents, an official at the agency who declined to be named said Friday.
He wouldn't identify the two companies, but said the agency will hold another tender around early October.