Clashes erupted between protesters and the police yesterday morning when thousands of angry residents blocked all three major roads leading to the Formosa Plastic Group’s (FPG, 台塑集團) petrochemical complex in Yunlin County after compensation talks broke down the previous day.
Using blow horns and loudspeakers, the angry crowd laid siege to the complex, demanding that the conglomerate pay residents NT$1.8 billion (US$53 million) for polluting the area and allegedly harming their health. They also demanded that the company promise to relocate the facility later this decade.
Close to 1,000 police and at least three prosecutors were dispatched to the scene in an effort to clear the way for employees and keep watch for any illegal activity.
At about 8am, police asked protesters to clear one lane so employees at the plant, as well as clients, could access it. The protesters refused and began throwing water bottles at police officers, whereupon the police chief ordered that seven protest leaders be taken away.
“The seven individuals were arrested for leading the crowd to ‘attack’ police during the protest,” said Fang Chao-tsung (方朝宗), chief of Yunlin County Police Department’s Taisi Precinct.
Police said the demonstration violated the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) because the organizer did not obtain prior approval from authorities to hold the protest.
After questioning, the seven leaders were released without charge or bail.
No major injuries were reported during the incident, police said.
Yesterday’s protest came after the third round of compensation talks on Monday ended in acrimony when the plastics giant refused to agree to residents’ demand for a NT$1.8 billion compensation package.
An FPG representative said the demand was unacceptable, adding that the company would offer no more than NT$500 million in overall compensation. The group also agreed to subsidize a forestation project of up to 2,600 hectares to help curb carbon emissions.
The talks came after a huge fire on July 25 that set one of the complex’s oil refining plants ablaze. It was the second fire at the complex in three weeks.
Residents of Mailiao Township (麥寮), where the complex is located, and other nearby villages accused the plant of employing poor safety standards and neglecting the potential health risks for people living near the facility.
The residents, mainly farmers and fishermen, have formed self-help groups and demanded that the plant shut down immediately until a more thorough health risk and safety assessment has been conducted.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JIMMY CHUANG AND AFP
Taiwanese Olympic badminton men’s doubles gold medalist Wang Chi-lin (王齊麟) and his new partner, Chiu Hsiang-chieh (邱相榤), clinched the men’s doubles title at the Yonex Taipei Open yesterday, becoming the second Taiwanese team to win a title in the tournament. Ranked 19th in the world, the Taiwanese duo defeated Kang Min-hyuk and Ki Dong-ju of South Korea 21-18, 21-15 in a pulsating 43-minute final to clinch their first doubles title after teaming up last year. Wang, the men’s doubles gold medalist at the 2020 and 2024 Olympics, partnered with Chiu in August last year after the retirement of his teammate Lee Yang
US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland yesterday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. The US delegation has begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng (何立峰), Xinhua News Agency said. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun, but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks was not made public. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim, but there is
The number of births in Taiwan fell to an all-time monthly low last month, while the population declined for the 16th consecutive month, Ministry of the Interior data released on Friday showed. The number of newborns totaled 8,684, which is 704 births fewer than in March and the lowest monthly figure on record, the ministry said. That is equivalent to roughly one baby born every five minutes and an annual crude birthrate of 4.52 per 1,000 people, the ministry added. Meanwhile, 17,205 deaths were recorded, resulting in a natural population decrease of 8,521, the data showed. More people are also leaving Taiwan, with net
FALSE DOCUMENTS? Actor William Liao said he was ‘voluntarily cooperating’ with police after a suspect was accused of helping to produce false medical certificates Police yesterday questioned at least six entertainers amid allegations of evasion of compulsory military service, with Lee Chuan (李銓), a member of boy band Choc7 (超克7), and actor Daniel Chen (陳大天) among those summoned. The New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office in January launched an investigation into a group that was allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified medical documents. Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) has been accused of being one of the group’s clients. As the investigation expanded, investigators at New Taipei City’s Yonghe Precinct said that other entertainers commissioned the group to obtain false documents. The main suspect, a man surnamed
RSS