Though it's been two years since the 921 earthquake struck Taiwan -- killing 2,444 and leaving thousands more homeless -- questions remain about what had happened to the billions of dollars that were raised to cope with the disaster.
Government officials insist the funds were appropriated properly and say the money wasn't lost to corruption.
But those reassurances haven't provided much comfort to those who lost loved ones or homes in the deadly quake.
Some quake victims in the hardest-hit areas say they haven't seen any visible effects of the money being put to use.
Others who are dependent on quake relief say the money has been devoted to projects in which the results aren't always immediately clear. According to one social service organization, some of the disaster relief funds have been "used to do research and design for public infrastructure projects that take some time to finish ... people can't see immediate and concrete results."
Misconceptions
Some victims say that people are upset because they have little idea about how the money is being spent.
A woman surnamed Liu -- who has been living in a prefabricated house in Taichung County's Tungshi township for the past two years -- says the government could be clearer in describing its aid programs to victims.
Liu, who lost a son and her family's home in the quake, got a minimum-wage, government-funded job as "an interviewer in affected areas" after 921 hit.
Part of her responsibility entails talking to people in prefabricated-house communities, many of whom have expressed negative opinions and theories about what happened to the quake donations.
"They told me, `Do you know where the money has gone? It's in the bank earning interest,'" Liu said. "They don't understand how the government allocates its spending," she said, and that has caused many victims to suspect they've been cheated.
But there is plenty of evidence that quake relief money is being well spent. Nantou County's "Life Reconstruction Centers," is an example.
Nantou has entrusted civic organizations with the responsibility of setting up counseling centers for the county's townships.
The centers have made up for a shortage of personnel in government social welfare departments, and serve as an important liaison between local governments and the public.
The funding for the centers come from 921 donations.
However, though billions were raised to help with the relief efforts, social workers say they're struggling to provide the necessary aid.
"The annual budget we receive from the government is around NT$2 million," said Hsueh Yu-sheng (
"But we serve more than 1,000 households in a year. Suppose we serve 1,000 people in one year. That's not much money for any single person."
Different expectations
Hsueh added that many victims have different levels of expectations about how far the government will go to help them get back on their feet.
"Some know that the government is working for them and understand that what the government can do may be different from their expectations," Hsueh said. "Others just want to rebuild their houses and just want the money to be distributed to them directly."
Others say they're resentful of "outsiders" who are using relief money to set up pet projects that do little to make a difference in the lives of quake victims.
Social groups and cultural organizations have won government funding for everything from community newspapers to psychological counseling programs to research for community planning proposals.
But while some of these programs without argument do some good, a handful of victims say the "outsiders" running them have little understanding of local residents' needs.
"They apply for funding and get their paycheck. They come in to do research on us and propose some academic theories," said Lin Min-huang (
Lin lost her husband in the quake, who saved her life by pushing her under a table when the temblor hit. She wept for six months in depression, pulling out all of her teeth after losing control over herself.
But Lin managed to overcome her depression for the sake of her daughter and handicapped son. Still, she's wary of strangers and hasn't been able to trust others easily again.
"Some religious groups and members of the media are misusing our money for their own purposes," Lin alleged.
Lack of media coverage
Hsieh Chih-cheng (
In all, the central government received NT$14 billion from private donors to redistribute to hard hit areas. The most affected areas -- Nantou and Taichung Counties -- received NT$16 billion and NT$12 billion, respectively, from a mix of government aid and private sector donations.
Hsieh said the foundation has backed many reconstruction projects that have been overlooked by media -- contributing to the perception that the government has done little in the two years since the 921 quake hit.
Taichung and Nantou have used some of their donations for county planning and the construction of roads.
According to Hsieh another factor confusing matters is that the government has made promises to quake victims, but private foundations are the ones writing the checks.
"The government promised in the media that affected households would enjoy free health, labor and public employees' insurance," Hsieh said. "Everyone thought this was the government's money, but actually the money came from the private donations."
There's still debate about whether donations should be used to supplement a county government's budget for infrastructure projects, or if it should be used by non-government groups.
"There are divergent opinions regarding the use of the 921 donations," said Tang Yun-teng (
"I believe that the donations should be treated as disaster relief and reconstruction resources, and in this sense, there should be no distinction between the public and private sectors."
Peng Pai-hsien (
"With the donated money, we hope to take care of people's basic living requirements and then reconstruct things such as bridges and roads," Peng said. "Some say this should only be done with public money [and not donations], but how can we do this without money? Many needs are intertwined here."
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