Protest songs

In addition to its recent plaudits, the band has also seen other indications that its protest work is paying off. Labor Exchange is seen as representative of Taiwan's World Music genre by mainstream music critics, which has earned them invitations to domestic and international music festivals.

Yet their most rewarding moments have come from recent developments in the Meinung dam controversy. Last summer, with a majority of KMT legislators, the Legislative Yuan passed a NT$250 million budget for the dam construction, which was seen as a fateful defeat of the movement. But after President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) election victory, his government is in the position to put a halt to the project and is expected to try. Moreover, major activist and sociologist Chung Yung-feng (鍾永豐) has become the director of the Bureau of Water Resources (水資源局) in Kaohsiung County, where the dam is slated to be built. In the short term, activists and Labor Exchange believe the "damned dam project" won't see the light of day.

"But reactionary forces will not give up; our fights will not cease, either," says Chen. "There is still a lot to do."

For more information about Labor Exchange, go to www.leband.net. The band's album is available at Eslite book stores.