The Election Commission in Penghu County, Taiwan, has decided that voters will go to the polls on 26 September to decide whether casino resorts will be built on the islands. There are around 90 islands in the Penghu (Pescadores) archipelago, which are home to around 93,000 people who depend heavily on tourism. At a news conference the secretary-general of the Commission, Chang Jui-tung said the date for the public referendum had been unanimously agreed.

"The referendum will ask voters whether they either agree or disagree with setting up an international recreation area in which casinos will be allowed to operate." Before the referendum vote takes place there will be a public hearing held on 16 September. Pro- and anti-casino activists will be able to put their points of view and the session will be televised by a local cable television company and broadcast several times leading up to the referendum.

According to the Referendum Act, for the referendum to be considered valid more than 50% of voters will need to cast their ballots and more than half of them will have to cast "yes" votes for the casino proposal to become reality. Previous votes have gone against gambling but authorities in Penghu have supported the idea of casinos for several years, seeing them as a means of bringing investment and boosting tourism. (E-08.14.09)

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