April 21--TAIPEI (The China Post/ANN) -- After 261 kilometers and 17 days of hiking, some 20 environmentalists and aboriginal tribes from Hualien and Taitung County reached eastern Taipei yesterday, assembling in protest of the Miramar Resort Hotel project.

The protest against the Miramar project gathered roughly 700 participants along Ketagalan Boulevard. The 20 environmentalist hikers began their trek on April 4.

The Citizen of Earth, Taiwan Foundation stated that the legality of the Miramar Resort Taitung, also known as Miramar Resort Hotel, has long caused tension between the government and the citizens of Taiwan.

Since the hotel was constructed on a plot of land in Taitung County's Shanyuan Bay, citizens expressed anger toward the Taitung government as the construction company allegedly neglected environmental evaluations.

While the Taiwan courts have denied the hotel's legality due to its poor environmental evaluation reports, the Taitung government approved its construction, claiming that it was legal property of the local government. The area was rezoned as a resort district for recreational facilities as early as 1986, said the Taitung County Government.

A tune called the "Anti-Miramar Song," written by Dakanow, was repeatedly played at the protest.

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