Mayor’s Remarks:
1. Last week, the Tainan City government hosted the "Tainan International Mango Festival" and the "2025 Tainan Hot Air Balloon Party." Sincere thanks to the Agriculture Bureau, Tourism and Travel Bureau, Department of Information and International Relations, and Police Bureau for their efforts. All bureaus and departments are reminded to develop comprehensive traffic management plans in advance when organizing events. In addition, this week marks the opening of the "Food Taipei Mega Shows." The Agriculture Bureau is instructed to invite more commercial buyers to visit Tainan’s exhibition booths and to facilitate opportunities for local producers to learn from practices in other cities, counties, or countries. These efforts will enhance Tainan’s competitiveness and opportunities in marketing its agricultural specialty products.
2. To optimize urban traffic, the city government will carry out left-turn lane construction at 62 locations this year, 14 of which have already been completed. The Transportation Bureau and the Public Works Bureau are instructed to continue advancing the project and expedite its implementation.
3. The Economic Development Bureau is instructed to ensure that the "Seismic Reinforcement Project for the Sinshih and Kaiyuan Public Retail Market Buildings" is completed on schedule and to the required quality standards. The Bureau is also requested to provide photos of the motorcycle shelter in Area B of the Kaiyuan Market for the Mayor’s reference.
Reports
1. The Agriculture Bureau presented a report titled "Floating Raft Oyster Farming in Tainan: Outcomes of Recycling Traditional Oyster Farming Structures and Optimizing Floats" (refer to written sources for details).
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s Comments:
(1) The recycling and disposal of traditional oyster farming structures has long been a persistent issue. Traditional floating raft systems often use bamboo frames and styrofoam floats. Bamboo frames, once removed, can be recycled and repurposed into products, such as sea bamboo charcoal. However, if they are sent to incinerators, this increases the volume of waste. Styrofoam floats, which contain microplastics, pose a serious threat to the marine environment. Despite this, many fishermen continue to use them due to their low cost. This practice has significant negative impacts on both human health and ecosystems. As a result, both central and local governments are actively promoting the adoption of modern oyster farming structures and advocating for a ban on the incineration of bamboo frames and the disposal of styrofoam waste.
(2) The city government plans to ban the use of styrofoam floats formally through an amendment of the self-government ordinance. The Agriculture Bureau is requested to reassess carefully and determine an appropriate date for implementing the ban. In the meantime, the Bureau should strengthen guidance efforts and provide subsidies to help fishermen transition to modern oyster farming structures as soon as possible.
2. The Public Health Bureau presented a report titled: "Understanding Health through Data: A Comparative Analysis of the Top Ten Causes of Death in Tainan City and Nationwide, and Suicide Prevention Measures" (refer to written sources for details).
Resolution: Approved for reference filing.
Mayor’s Comments:
(1) "Coffins are for the dead, not for the old." The causes of death—whether from accidents, suicide, or illness—carry different implications in public health. According to the report, aging ranks 8th among the top ten causes of death in Tainan, compared to 13th nationwide. This indicates that a higher proportion of elderly residents in Tainan die of old age rather than from disease, traffic accidents, suicide, or criminal incidents. Compared to the national average, this reflects a more natural and healthier end-of-life trend in the city.
(2) Suicide, which often results from extreme physical and psychological distress, is an intentional act of ending one’s own life. It ranks 10th among the top ten causes of death nationwide, but 13th in Tainan. The data indicate that the suicide mortality rate in Tainan is lower than the national average. However, this figure should not be interpreted in isolation. Continued efforts are needed to strengthen public health initiatives.
(3) A comparison of the top ten causes of death shows that malignant tumors are the leading cause both in Tainan and nationwide. However, Tainan’s cancer mortality rate (28.4%) is higher than the national average (26.8%). Similarly, the mortality rate from hypertensive diseases in Tainan (5.4%) exceeds the national figure (4.4%). These differences carry important implications for the city government’s future policymaking, health education, and public awareness efforts, and they warrant closer attention in the field of public health.
(4) While Tainan’s overall population has slightly declined over the past six years, the number of residents aged 65 and above has risen significantly—from 280,000 to 370,000. This reflects an acceleration of the city’s aging demographic. The Public Health Bureau, Social Affairs Bureau, and Civil Affairs Bureau should place special emphasis on the healthcare, rights, social participation, and welfare of older adults and use these considerations to inform future policy planning.