Taipei, June 19 (CNA) A referendum will be held in the outlying county of Kinmen on Oct. 28 to allow residents to decide whether to allow casinos to open there, the county's Election Commission said Monday.
The referendum was initiated by Tsai Chun-sheng, a member of the Kinmen County Council.
Tsai has collected 5,602 valid signatures to back up his initiative, surpassing the threshold of 5,178, or 5 percent of the total number of eligible voters, according to the commission.
The commission will make a formal announcement on the planned referendum on June 23.
Gambling is not allowed on Taiwan proper, but the Legislature passed an amendment to the Offshore Islands Development Act in January 2009, allowing the country's outlying islands to establish tourist casinos if their residents agree through a referendum.
