Premier Liu Chao-shiuan said at a regular Cabinet meeting last week that before the government can outline plans to build casinos on the outlying islands, it will first have to decriminalize gambling on the islands. No decision was made on the controversial issue of construction of offshore casinos, as Liu said only that "in principle, one of the major efforts in the development of the outlying islands is the construction of the tourism industry."

Taipei, Taiwan -- Premier Liu Chao-shiuan called yesterday for legalizing casino gambling on Taiwan's offshore islands, in what some considered to be the first concrete step towards building gambling facilities on islands outside the Taiwan proper. Liu made the remarks while attending the weekly Cabinet meeting yesterday. During the meeting, Hu Chung-ying, vice chairman of the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD)...