Print

Mail

wiki links

Activists call for site assessment

Activists fighting for the preservation of Lo Sheng Sanatorium yesterday called on the Council of Cultural Affairs to launch an assessment of the site in a bid to have it declared a historic site protected by the government.

The Taipei County sanatorium has housed thousands of people suffering Hansen's disease, also known as leprosy.

A plan to tear down most of the sanatorium's buildings to make room for an MRT maintenance depot has met with strong opposition from those who argue that the 77-year-old complex should be preserved.

The council has yet to look into the site's historic value, which would be the first step in declaring it a historic site, Lin Wan-chuan (林婉純), a Lo Sheng Youth Alliance member, told a press conference at the Legislative Yuan yesterday.

Activists have been especially frustrated as government agencies have passed the buck for the assessment.

"[Council of Cultural Affairs Minister] Wong Chin-chu (翁金珠) told me that she would declare [the sanatorium] a historic site" if the Taipei City Government would send her a letter promising that the declaration would not delay the completion of the MRT line, Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Hsin-yuan (賴幸媛) said.

But city officials declined to send such a letter, Lai said.

Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) gave a similar explanation earlier this year, saying that he did not have the authority to make a decision on whether to preserve Lo Sheng.

"Our officials often don't consider themselves the executors of the law, but rather judges," said Robin Winkler, an environmentalist who supports the sanatorium's preservation.

After the news conference, activists went to the council with their demand that the site be assessed. Council officials declined to make any promises.

"The local government is the first step in identifying a potential historic site," Huang Su-cheng (黃素貞), a council official, said when asked about an assessment.

"We are still waiting for a complete report from Taipei County's Cultural Affairs Bureau," Huang said.
This story has been viewed 1363 times.