After having welcomed in the new year with a night of firecrackers and fireworks, everyone has had to return to the hardships and cruelties of their daily lives.
Some have had to face harsher realities than others, because of the government’s recent high-handed and imperious land seizures: Many people have, in effect, become refugees in their own country.
On Thursday, a group of people who were forcefully removed from their homes summoned the courage to gather outside the Ministry of the Interior in Taipei to protest against the government’s actions.
During the demonstration, they accused the unreasonable and domineering government of violating the Constitution and committing other human rights violations by depriving the protesters of their homes, and leaving them in a state of constant anxiety and concern.
The demonstrators were residents of Leshan Village (樂善村) in Guishan Township (龜山鄉), Taoyuan County. Their calm and peaceful lives were disrupted when the government proposed its plan to build the A7 station of the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT.
The initiative drained the color from their lives, leaving them in an empty black-and-white void because of the government’s intentions to sweep them brusquely aside and expropriate their land.
Prior to the expropriation proceedings, the government is to hold a “pre-auction,” to auction the land to developers. It is appalling to think that the government will forcefully sell off the land while those who own it are sitting in their homes on that same land.
A very small portion of this land has been set aside for the development of affordable housing, but a much larger area has been designated for industry and construction.
misinformation
The government is clearly driving up land prices in order to bring in capital and improve its fiscal situation.
Villagers approached the Control Yuan for help and information about the government’s actions. In an investigative report conducted by the Control Yuan, the reason given by the interior ministry for the pre-auction was that without one, the deadline for completion of the MRT station’s construction would likely not be met.
The ministry also said that such a procedure would not harm the rights or interests of those who own the land in the area.
This is nothing but a barefaced lie and the Control Yuan directed harsh criticism at the Cabinet, saying that in the absence of any legislation to support such a move, the unscrupulous pre-auctioning of land that is still the property of private citizens shows a lack of respect for private property rights and also violates fundamental rights guaranteed in the Constitution.
criticism
In its criticism, the Control Yuan also said that this would lead to public fear and unease, resulting in public complaints, and this should not be the kind of policy making up the foundations of a government.
In his new year’s address, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) asked that Taiwanese show tolerance and forgiveness toward each other.
The irony is that what is happening is the stronger parties are bullying the weaker ones, chasing them from their own land, and the main culprit behind this exploitation of the public is the government –– the very one that is led by Ma.
Hsu Shih-jung is a professor in the Department of Land Economics at National Chengchi University.
Translated by Perry Svensson
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under