More than half a year after Typhoon Morakot struck in August, typhoon victims from 14 Paiwan tribe families from Daniao Village (豇謶) in Taitung County are still living in temporary camps, casting doubt on the efficiency of the reconstruction process.
The plight of the families was revealed by Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chen Ying (蠊秄) at a press conference on Monday, who accused the government of failing to fulfill its promise to reaccommodate all victims in mid-term housing before Feb. 10.
※As the government falls further behind its reconstruction schedule, the 14 families have been totally left behind. They even had to spend the Lunar New Year in camps,§ Chen said yesterday.
Post-Typhoon Morakot Reconstruction Commission vice chairman Chen Chen-chuan (蠊藙藿) called a press conference in response to the allegation, saying the victims had chosen to move into their mid-term houses at a later date when more facilities were complete.
Chen Chen-chuan said the government had handed the house keys to the victims before the Lunar New Year, but they decided to wait for the completion of floor tiles, drainage channels and other facilities inside the houses.
Daniao was one of several places where typhoon victims voiced dissatisfaction with the government＊s relocation or reconstruction plans.
Chen Chen-chuan yesterday also said that there were victims waiting for mid-term housing in the Kalapi settlement (搟舝搎晡) of people from the Aboriginal Amis tribe in Taitung County.
The residents of Kalapi, temporarily accommodated in a veterans＊ community, had agreed to move their settlement to a new site after their original homeland was designated as too dangerous to live in.
After the typhoon, the government designated 34 communities as off-limits and hoped to persuade residents to move from their settlements over safety concerns.
Despite the claim that the government would respect the wishes of typhoon victims, there have been complaints about the designation project.
Rukai Aborigines from Wutai Township (渜鷋) in Pingtung County recently published a letter to President Ma Ying-jeou (堜褙朐) opposing designating Balio Village (銋窔齝葞搎晡) as off-〝limits to reconstruction.
The letter said that the residents found it difficult to trust the government because the reconstruction commission discretionarily designated Balio as off-limits even though it was considered safe in two out of three safety assessment reports.
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