Taipei, July 14 CNA The issue of legalizing the sex trade in designated zones has come to the fore again after news emerged Thursday that the Executive Yuan has approved a proposed law amendment aimed at allowing such a move. Many local governments, however, wasted no time in vetoing any such plans in their jurisdictions.
According to Taipei spokesman Chang Chi-chiang, Taipei is "too crowded" to consider offering such services, noting that the public still considers legalizing the sex trade to be highly controversial.
Tainan Mayor William Lai, meanwhile, was quoted by local media as saying that he plans to build Tainan into a clean city and that the establishment of additional brothels there is out of the question.
The Kaohsiung, Taichung and New Taipei governments also rejecting the idea, saying that they currently have no plans to set up sex-trade zones in the cities. Under the proposal, sex transactions conducted in the designated zones will not result in any penalties for those involved.
Liu Wen-shih, director of the Ministry of the Interior's civil affairs department, said that if the designated zones are approved, the operators will not be allowed to advertise their business in any form. Taiwan has 11 legal brothels and 49 registered sex workers aged between 30 and 60 in Yilan, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and in outlying Penghu County.
