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Activists decry decision on Losheng

John Liu, second left, a professor in the Graduate Institute of Building and Planning at National Taiwan University, joins Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan, second right, at a press conference yesterday condemning the Public Construction Commission's decision on Losheng Sanatorium. PHOTO: FANG PIN-CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES

Losheng (Happy Life) Sanatorium residents and preservationists yesterday condemned the Public Construction Commission's (PCC) announcement on Wednesday that only half of the complex would be preserved.

Located in Taipei County, the sanatorium is a sprawling complex built during the Japanese colonial era as an isolation unit for people suffering from Hansen's disease.

A plan to tear down most of the buildings to make room for a mass rapid transit (MRT) maintenance depot has met with strong opposition.

Under public pressure, former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) had postponed the demolition plan and asked the commission to hold further talks with residents and activists to negotiate a solution.

The commission announced on Wednesday that only 39 of the buildings, or 50 percent of the complex, would be preserved.

Another 10 buildings, a PCC press release said, will be demolished and reconstructed at a new location.

Disappointed at the commission's decision, Losheng residents and preservationists yesterday called the PCC solution a "lose-lose-lose situation."

no winners

"The PCC's decision is a `lose-lose-lose' solution, as it would delay the completion of the MRT line, require the eviction of Losheng residents and destroy a historical site," Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛) told a press conference.

Preservationists were pushing for a plan proposed by a UK-based construction consulting company that would allow preservation of 46 buildings, or 90 percent of the complex, with minimum delay to the completion of the MRT line and would allow most residents to continue living in the buildings, Lai said.

Building specialists also questioned the safety of the PCC's construction plan.

Hydrology slug tests conducted by the Department of Mass Rapid Transportation System showed that the slopes on which Losheng is located have a rich underground water content.

"It's like a small reservoir down there," an engineer surnamed Wang said.

safety risk

"There's a risk that the whole thing may collapse after completion and threaten the MRT structure, the historic site and the safety of local residents," Wang said.

Preservationists who attended the PCC meeting on Wednesday said the commission's representatives never directly addressed the safety question raised during the meeting.

Despite the opposition, the commission was sticking to its decision.

"We've tried our best to accommodate what they [preservationists] asked for ... but we've reached the limit of what can be done," a commission official told the Taipei Times by telephone yesterday.

Supporters of the sanatorium's preservation vowed further action.
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