With the Taipei County Government's deadline for the eviction of leprosy patients from Lo Sheng Sanatorium approaching, a group of sanatorium residents yesterday appealed to Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to speed up the passage of a bill which they hope can help save their home.
The county government issued an ultimatum early this month saying that it would resort to forcible eviction if residents fail to move out by April 16.
The Sinjhuang compound is to be demolished make way for construction of a Mass Rapid Transit depot.
Although a series of protests calling for the preservation of the sanatorium have been staged recently, the government seems reluctant to change its initial plan.
And although Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said recently he would find an acceptable solution to the dispute, he didn't guarantee the sanitorium would be saved, said Chan Ming-chou (詹銘洲), a member of the Hansen's Patients Human Rights Violation Investigation Committee.
"The Taipei County government still has no intention of revoking its demolition plan. We therefore called on the speaker to help us save the sanatorium and safeguard the residents' human rights through legislative measures," he added.
Several lawmakers across party lines last week reached consensus on a bill designed to compensate leprosy patients mistreated by the government, preserve the sanatorium and defend patients' right to live in the area.
"Although we made a little progress with the bill, it's still not enough to preserve the Lo Sheng Sanatorium," said Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛).
"On the one hand, the bill has to clear the legislature by April 13, but some lawmakers have said they will oppose it," she added.
Lai said the initial consensus on the bill was reached because lawmakers that support the demolition were absent, adding she was concerned an agreement would prove elusive during the next round of negotiations.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
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