DPP legislator urges public to `protect' KMT's stolen assets

Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) yesterday urged the public to file applications to the Cabinet's Council for Cultural Affairs to determine the historical value of some of the Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) stolen assets.

Lin told a press conference that many of the KMT's assets were cultural assets from the Japanese colonial period and that they needed to be preserved.

The site of the KMT's former headquarters on Zhongshan S Rd, for example, bears historical importance because it used to be the office of the Red Cross Society in Taiwan, but it was demolished by the KMT and sold to the Chang Yung-fa Foundation last year, Lin said.

"Many of the KMT's assets, sold or not, are buildings with unique architectural styles and historical worth," she said.

Lin added that she would take the lead in filing applications to the council and local cultural affairs departments, demanding they start the procedure of historical heritage review immediately.

"I hope the Taipei City Government and other local governments deal with applications as efficiently as the city government did when it had Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall [temporarily declared] a heritage site on Tuesday," she said.

Lin launched the campaign as a countermeasure against Taipei City Government's efforts to protect the memorial by citing the Cultural Heritage Preservation Law (文化資產保存法).

According to the law, local cultural affairs departments are obliged to review the historical value of a place or building after they accept an application from the public.

During the review process -- which can last from six months to a year -- no alterations can be made as it is first declared a temporary historical site.