Taiwan Church News 3280 Edition January 5 - 11, 2015 Church Ministry Farmers Protest Government's Unfair Policy Of Water Rationing Reported by Lin Yi-yin Facing the worst ever drought since 2004, Taiwan government from end-November 2014 has made decisions to stop supplying irrigation water for 2015 phase-one rice paddy. Up to now, it is estimated that 41,567 hectares of rice paddy across Taiwan would be affected. And only NTD 85,000 per hectare could be compensated for the land owners. Protesting against such unfair water rationing policy, together with civil rights groups like Taiwan Rural Front, Homemakers United Foundation and Taiwan Rural Guardians, many farmers, tenants and workers in sharecropping from Miaoli, Hsinchu and Taoyuan assembly at the front gate of the Executive Yuan on December 31 2014. They strongly critique Taiwan government is seriously in breach of article 18 of Water Act, stipulating the priority of agricultural use should be above the industrial use. In addition, due to government's poor judgement that the land owners are the only victims, the compensation mechanism would never reach the tenants or workers in sharecropping. Therefore, within the latest negotiations, these protesting farmers and civil groups ask government to comply with their six demands as follows: (1)The government should stick to article 18 of Water Act, assuring the priority of water supply to domestic, public and agricultural use. (2) If small and medium industrial factories need the water, they should pay for them at a reasonable price. Not by a compensation in taxpayers' money. (3) Compensation to the land owners, due to the shortage of water supply, should not be confused with the fallowing. (4) Policy decision on water supply should involve the parties from the related farmers. (5) Instead of enforced fallowing, dryland farming could be encouraged as an alternative. (6) The interests of tenant and workers in sharecropping should be considered in compensation mechanism. Translated by Peter Wolfe |