Sijhou demolition suspended

Aborigines from Sanying Township and Sijhou Township protest against their relocation in a march for Aboriginal rights on March 8 in Taipei. PHOTO: CNA

The Taipei County Government decided on Thursday to suspend the planned demolition of the riverside dwellings of a group of Aborigines in Sindian (新店), ending a weeks-long dispute over a relocation plan.

During a meeting with a group of Aborigines and activists, Taipei County Commissioner Chou Hsi-wei (周錫瑋) promised that the government would not tear down homes in the Sijhou Township (溪洲部落), which resides on the banks of the Sindian River, before it finds a location to build a new community.

The meeting came after county officials forcibly demolished homes of a similar community in Sansia Township (三峽) on Feb. 29.

Aboriginal Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) said at the meeting that many people from the Sijhou Township do not have stable jobs and therefore cannot afford to live in a residential complex in Sansia, as the county government had planned.

May Chin suggested that the county government find another location to accommodate the Aborigines and allow them to take part in the planning of their new homes.

Chou promised that the county government would consult with Sijhou Township members by organizing meetings starting next week and build a community with distinct Aboriginal features.

Chou also said that the county government would budget NT$10 million (US$325,000) to build the new community.

However, Chang Chu-miao (張租淼), a spokesman for the Sijhou Aboriginal Community Self-Help Organization, said the government should respect the residents' wishes to stay in their current location.

"If the county government wants to help, it should respect the rights of Aborigines to choose where they live," he said.

"We hope the more than 200 residents can stay where they are now," Chang said, adding that the land belongs to the Aborigines, not the government, and that they would defend their ancestors' land.