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921 victims want apology

A earthquake victim, surnamed Chu, appears with her baby daughter yesterday at a press conference in Taipei to deny allegations by the head of the 921 Earthquake Post-Disaster Recovery Commission that she is a ``false victim.'' PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMESN

Victims of the 921 earthquake yesterday accused the Cabinet's 921 Earthquake Post-Disaster Recovery Commission of defamation and demanded that the commission's executive director make a public apology to the victims.

"Although we are poor, we still have self-esteem. The commission should stop defaming us by saying that we are rich people who pretend to be quake victims," a woman, surnamed Chu, yesterday at a press conference called by PFP lawmaker Kao Ming-chien (高明見).

Last Thursday, a group of 921 quake victims from the temporary housing units in Taichung Tali City attended a press conference organized by Kao to criticize the commission for dismantling the temporary housing units without first resettling the quake victims.

In response, the commission's executive director, Kuo Yao-chi(郭瑤琪), said that many residents of the temporary housing units are "fake victims" who actually owned houses or were receiving retirement pensions.

According to the local media, Kuo said that Chu's father-in-law owned five houses. Kuo also said that Hung Shan-hsiung (洪山雄), an elderly quake victim who claimed to be living on the government's old-age pension, is actually receiving a retirement pension and is quite well-off.

However, at yesterday's press conference, Chu said that her family does not have any property.

"The false accusation from a government official is unbearable," she said, explaining that even though her father-in-law owned a house in Nantou County, it is impossible for them to live with him because her husband works in Taichung.

"If I really have an alternative, I would never want to live in such a [prefabricated] house that is burning hot in the summer and freezing cold in the winter."

In his own defense, Hung said that since he resigned from public office before he'd reached retirement age, he did not receive the retirement pension.

In addition to condemning the government for attacking quake victims in a bid to drive them out of the temporary housing units, the agitated quake victims demanded that Kuo apologize publicly for the false accusations she has made about them.

"Or else we will file lawsuits against Kuo for defamation, malfeasance, and damage to houses and buildings," Chu said.

Meanwhile, in support of the quake victims, PFP lawmaker Lui Wen-hsiung (劉文雄) said yesterday that despite Kuo's aggressive action in tearing down the temporary housing units, Kuo's own house in Taipei City is an illegal structure.

According to Lui, in order to build a garden at the back of the house, Kuo had seized a part of the sidewalk for her own use.

Kuo, however, stressed that when Lui first raised the issue two years ago, the Taipei City Government had already made it clear that her house is not an illegal structure.

"Lui should stop reiterating the issue and twisting the truth," she said.
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