Green Island Tourists, Residents Fight over Ferry Seats|綠島船班因颱風取消 遊客.居民搶搭船爆衝突

Abrupt ferry cancellations due to a typhoon have stranded nearly 5,000 tourists and brought chaos to Nanliao Harbor on Green Island. Ferry service from Green Island to Taitung resumed on the morning of Aug. 4 with tourists and residents braving the rain to get on a ferry to Taiwan proper. Local fishermen even parked their boats at the harbor to prevent passenger ferries from docking and called on ferries to give local residents priority. Operators hope extra ferries can end the chaos.


Green Island residents and tourists line up to board Taitung-bound ferries. Residents were incensed when ferry operators said only tourists could board, and got local fishing boats to block the harbor and prevent passenger ferries from docking.

I have a medical followup at 8 a.m. tomorrow (following my appointment today). What am I supposed to do if I can't see the doctor today?

Ferry service was suspended on the 3rd due to Severe Tropical Storm Hagupit, leaving 4,800 tourists stranded on Green Island. Many local residents with seats already reserved on Taitung-bound ferries on the 4th were angered when ferry operators put them on standby to serve tourists first. The township chief and local representatives quickly arrived to help.

Green Island residents already have reserved seats. Some have chronic illnesses and they need (to get to Taiwan proper) to get their prescriptions refilled. Others only leave (Green Island) if they have to.

It seems like they don't have the capacity to serve all the people (trying to get on the ferries).

In the end, ferry operators agreed to three additional ferry runs to Taitung on the 4th for a total of 30 runs. Residents were not appeased, saying this is not the first time this has happened and whether ferries should give priority to residents or tourists should be clearly stated.



綠島當地居民4號也等著搭客輪到台東，但客輪卻只能載遊客，讓當地居民非常不滿，不但召集漁船開到客輪碼頭阻擋客輪停靠，還在碼頭和遊客互罵，場面火爆。

當地居民 田先生表示：「我明天八點還要複診，今天沒出去，看明天要怎麼辦？」

往返台東和綠島客輪，原本4號要開出24班船，輸運3號因為哈格比颱風取消船班，被滯留在綠島的4千8百多名遊客，但也有當地居民早就訂好船票，4號也要到台東，而客輪聯營業者為了趕快輸運遊客，先讓遊客先搭船，讓綠島當地居民排候補，才發生這場爭端，綠島鄉長和鄉民代表趕緊到場協調。

綠島鄉長 謝賢裕表示：「綠島居民有的訂票，是因為他們慢性病，所以他們很趕，沒有藥了。然後有一些居民，他們真的很需要，才要出去。」

遊客表示：「現場人流的話，它那個吞吐量，好像沒辦法應付這麼多人。」

經過和客輪聯營業者協調，同意再增開3個綠島往返台東的船班，4號一共會開出30班船，也讓居民可以上船，暫時解決了爭議。不過綠島居民說，遊客和居民搶搭船的事件已經不是第一次，交通船到底是遊客優先還是居民優先，希望能訂出明確標準！