About 20 demonstrators chanted slogans outside the cabinet office in Taipei, demanding that Premier Liu Chao-shiuan abandon the plan and threatening bigger rallies if he moves forward.

On Sunday, Liu announced plans to build a freeway on the island's east coast to help ease Taipei-bound traffic and divert cars from a section of existing road that is susceptible to landslides.

Liu said residents of southeastern Hualien had appealed to the government for a better road, telling reporters: "We must provide them a safe way to go home."

Residents often complain about the existing narrow highway that leads up the island's eastern coast from Hualien towards Taipei, saying the dangerous road conditions lead many to opt for a 3.5-hour train journey.

But environmentalists say the increased traffic brought by the highway would pollute the area's rivers and ocean waters, and damage the Taroko National Park, a major Taiwanese tourist attraction.

"The decision is improper and unacceptable," Chang Tzu-chien of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union told AFP.

A previous project to build a longer highway linking Hualien and Suao in the northeast has been shelved for nearly 10 years due to environmental concerns.

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