Print

Mail

wiki links

President surprised by Losheng protest

Holding a banner that said “President Ma, please save human rights and culture,” Losheng Sanatorium preservation activists staged a surprise sit-in demonstration outside President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) residence in Taipei early yesterday morning.

About 60 people from the Youth Alliance for Losheng and sanatorium residents appeared on the sidewalk across the street from Ma’s apartment at about 6:30am.

Hoping to talk to Ma directly, they sat down quietly on the sidewalk and along the roadside, holding banners and placards demanding the preservation of the sanatorium and its designation as a historic site.

The sanatorium complex in Sinjhuang City (新莊), Taipei County, was built during the Japanese colonial period to isolate patients with Hansen’s disease.

A decision made a few years ago to demolish the sanatorium to make way for an MRT maintenance depot has faced strong opposition from supporters who believe the place bears important witness to the history of Taiwan’s public health system. They said that forcing the residents to relocate after forcing them to live there for decades a violation of human rights.

The matter has remained unresolved as preservationists and the Public Constructions Commission have failed to reach an agreement on a new construction plan that would still see many of the buildings torn down.

“We were notified earlier this month that the Department of Rapid Transport plans to go ahead with construction on Aug. 1,” Wang Hao-chung (王顥中), a member of the youth alliance said in explaining the reason for the demonstration.

“Ma Ying-jeou has repeatedly said that he knows the problem well — but now it’s urgent, we want to know what he has to propose to resolve the issue,” Wang said.

After nearly two hours of negotiation and minor verbal disputes with local police and National Security Bureau agents in charge of the president’s personal security, Ma finally agreed to receive three representatives among the demonstrators and came out of his apartment at about 8:15am.

After a two-minute meeting, Ma jumped into a waiting car, leaving the disappointed demonstrators.

“After listening to [Losheng resident] Chen Chai-tien [陳再添], Ma’s only response was that he would ask government agencies to study our request,” an activist surnamed Hung told the crowd that was waiting across the street after the brief meeting.

“When I tried to give more details, I was told that only one person could talk and Ma told me not to interrupt Chen. Some security officers even tried to pull me away,” he said. “I don’t think he was really listening to us.”

“So when Ma went into his car, I shouted that we’ll be back in seven days if we don’t hear anything back from him,” Hung said.
This story has been viewed 1463 times.