Matsu Casino Adds Spice and Controversy to Taiwan's Problems

Monday July 09, by Jerome F. Keating Ph.D.

While Matsu was able to resist constant bombardment and attacks in the past, it appears that the island fortress will soon fall to the combined forces of the gamblers of Taiwan and China. By a narrow referendum vote and again the use of a double standard for referendums, the citizens of Matsu voted to approve a casino on their island. When built the proposed casino will host some 2000 gamblers--one fifth of the population of the island. Yet another drama is added to the challenges facing Taiwan and a more spicy topic for the bhagwa mill. Stay tuned on this one; not as deadly as the KMT corruption issue, but certainly something with interesting future results.