Taiwan Church News

3208 Edition

August 19 - August 25, 2013

Headline News

20,000 People Rallied On Katagalan Boulevard Shouting "Tear Down NG Government"

Reported by Chiou Kuo-rong

"818 Tear Down NG Government", a rally organized by Taiwan Rural Front(TRF) and Protect Village Union(PVU), attracted 20,000demonstrators showed up on the Katagalan Boulevard in the night of August 18th. This rally is to commemorate the ruthless demolition event of Dapu Borough one month ago and protest the government's irresponsibility to the people's requests: apology for the demolition, return the expropriated land, investigate this abused case, and amend the Act of Land Expropriation. People shouted "Tear Down NG Government" in high emotions, asking Ma administration to respond promptly. In addition, they want the government to return the country back to the people, enhance the human rights and build up the democracy in economics development.

Mrs. Peng Shiu-chun, one of the inflicted houses among the Dapu Borough demolition, showed her rugged clothes and wretchedpots and pans due to the destructive demotion at the beginning of the assembly night. She strongly criticized how their residence right was abused by this authoritarian government.

Liu Ching-chan, President of PVU, remarked that this is the third time he came to Katagaln Boulevard to stage his protest annually. "Not Only the government did not stop expropriating the land from the people in the last three years," complained he, "but also aggraviate their action to seize the land, like Jhunan, Danhai, Eastside of Tainan Railway, Taoyuan Airport and etc, from the people". He urged the government to amend the Act of Land Expropriation to be thorough and complete. Otherwise, in order to protect their the farm land and produce, the protests and resistance from the peasants will never end.

When the protest assembly draw to a close at 10:00 pm on August 18, TRF declared that they would march toward the Executive Yuan and stage an overnight sit-in protest. Actually this is a smog tacit, as the real target is to occupy the Joint CentralGovernment Building(JCGB) around the corner. And this ambush to occupy JCGB complex successfully made 5,000 people flooded into the site and became the headlines of the following day's newspaper and media.

On August 19th 11:00 am, Jan Shun-quei, a volunteer lawyer for TRF, together with other leaders of this socialmovement went to Special Investigation Office to file the lawsuit against Miaoli Magistrate Liu Chen-hon. Jan's major accusation is that Liu expropriate the farm land of Dapu Borough to comply his "Jhunan Special Area Plan for the use of Shinchu Science Park(SSP)" with a design of 336 acres, yet he only plan to use only 55.6 acres for SSP. Obviously, Magistrate Liu over-expropriate the land and suspectable for a speculative realty investment.

On the morning of August 18, though the Ministry of Interior(MOI) had tried to placate the assembly of "818 Tear Down NGGovernment", explaining the ideals of the current Act of Land Expropriation is capable to look after various civil groups' proposals: for example, protect the good quality farm land, at least two public hearings or area planning committee meetings are required before land expropriation, the public interest and necessity of land expropriation should be deliberated during urban planning committee or land expropriation survey, land compensation should be referred to the negotiated price or the market price, a re-inhabitation plan for the middle or low income citizens is required, and etc. Because these are only empty talks from MOI, without any promise to write into law as the terms and conditions, people became even more agitated when these words were delivered by Deputy Minister of MOI.

During their occupation of JCGB, TRF delivered a statement, condemning MOI unqualified as the gatekeeper to guard against any infringe to our sacred land laws and residence human rights. "Rather than causing everyone to wage war against everyone in a selfish slaughter house, MOI should uphold their justice ideals on land, residence human rights and environmental protection, and take a good care of proper land expropriation and various area plans".

Translated by Peter Wolfe