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Lincoln Mansions residents take to streets in protest

Lincoln Mansions residents took their protest to the Executive Yuan yesterday, saying that they have been suffering for too long. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

It was three years ago yesterday when a typhoon brought heavy rainfall to northern Taiwan, causing the retaining wall of the Lincoln Mansions (林肯大郡) complex in Taipei County to collapse.

Twenty-eight residents were killed. The collapsed wall crushed their apartments and forced some 500 families to abandon their destroyed homes. The survivors were just too scared to live in the complex after learning that their homes had been built on land threatened by subsidence.

Now, three years later, the Lincoln residents are saddled with rents to pay, mortgages to service and legal expenses to cover. On the third anniversary of the disaster yesterday, the residents took to the streets of Taipei, hoping to remind the government that their problems have not yet come to an end.

Investigations into the Aug. 18, 1997 disaster revealed that the homes had been built on a land slope susceptible to mudslides. In addition, in some areas, the developers of the Lincoln Mansions built more buildings than the land could hold.

Still, despite an ill-conceived construction plan, the developer was able to obtain government approvals to go ahead with the project.

"Many people would ask: `how could you ever buy such apartments? Didn't you know how dangerous they were?' We simply didn't know. Otherwise, we wouldn't be here today," said one of the residents protesting outside the Executive Yuan yesterday.

The builder, the architect and contractors were convicted of manslaughter for their professional negligence. Government officials who rubber-stamped the housing project were also found guilty and sentenced to jail terms ranging between five and seven years.

The criminal suit is still under appeal at the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, the developer of the Lincoln Mansions has told residents he is bankrupt and unable to compensate them.

The residents also filed compensation requests to government agencies that handled the project, but those were bluntly rejected.

Now, to add insult to injury, banks that hold mortgages for the destroyed homes have been hounding the residents to pay back their loans.

"We are living in misery because of the government and a ruthless builder. Do you know that?" a woman resident cried out loud at yesterday's protest.

Before the new government came to power in May, negotiations between representatives of the residents, the builders and the government had taken place every month.

But those meetings have been halted since the transition of power.

In response to the residents' protest, the Executive Yuan said yesterday that negotiations will resume this month. But government officials refused to promise the residents that their efforts would lead to financial assistance.

"We hope it's not just another meeting without substantial actions," said Ke Cheng-hsin (柯正興), a representative of the protesters. "And we don't want any officials of the former government to take part in the meetings, or everything will just be the same."

Ke said he believed the disaster at the Lincoln Mansions would not be Taiwan's last.

"The nation still has lots of shoddy buildings. We've seen the Lincoln Mansions and the buildings destroyed during the 921 earthquake," Ke said.

"We're not being unreasonable in asking the government to take responsibility. After all, it has to learn how to cope with this kind of disaster sooner or later."
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