Farmers from Siangsihliao (相思寮) in Changhua County’s Erlin Township (二林) yesterday urged the government to preserve the farming community within the planned Erlin section of the Central Taiwan Science Park.
The farmers said they refuse to be removed from their homes and farmland to make way for the science park even though the Changhua County Government had proposed accommodating them in a housing complex next to the park.
“Losing the farmland means losing our jobs. Even though we will receive cash compensation, what are we going to do after we use up the money?” one farmer, surnamed Hung (洪), asked at a press conference at the legislature.
The farmers said an evaluation report provided by the Central Taiwan Science Park Administration on Feb. 8 showed it was possible to preserve the farming community if the administration adjusts the construction plan of the Erlin section’s roads and sewage system.
However, the government still rejected the farmers’ suggestion to preserve their community, saying that changing the plan would affect the timetable for companies to set up factories in the Erlin section, the farmers said.
John Liu (劉可強), a professor at National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Building and Planning, said the government and the farmers could reach a mutually beneficial solution if the government keeps the Siangsiliao community intact.
In response to Changhua farmers’ petition, however, Yang Wen-ke (楊文科), director-general of the central science park administration, dismissed the possibility of preserving the community, saying that Siangsiliao’s farmland was located in the center of the planned Erlin section of the park.
Yang said the government would have to submit the development project for another environmental impact review if the government revises the project.
The farmers’ campaign against land expropriation has made headlines after footage and photographs of the land seizure at Miaoli County’s Dapu Borough (大埔) attracted millions of hits on the Internet.
The Executive Yuan tried to resolve the controversy on Thursday by promising the farmers farmland equal to their original land off the Jhunan Science Park. Although Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) said the government would not take changing the status of specific agricultural areas for granted when drawing up policy, a number of land seizure projects, including Siangsihliao’s, remain under way.
“China is preparing to invade Taiwan,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) said in an exclusive interview with British media channel Sky News for a special report titled, “Is Taiwan ready for a Chinese invasion?” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said today in a statement. The 25-minute-long special report by Helen Ann-Smith released yesterday saw Sky News travel to Penghu, Taoyuan and Taipei to discuss the possibility of a Chinese invasion and how Taiwan is preparing for an attack. The film observed emergency response drills, interviewed baseball fans at the Taipei Dome on their views of US President
ECONOMIC BENEFITS: The imports from Belize would replace those from Honduras, whose shrimp exports have dropped 67 percent since cutting ties in 2023 Maintaining ties with Taiwan has economic benefits, Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials said yesterday, citing the approval of frozen whiteleg shrimp imports from Belize by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an example. The FDA on Wednesday approved the tariff-free imports from Belize after the whiteleg shrimp passed the Systematic Inspection of Imported Food, which would continue to boost mutual trade, the ministry said. Taiwan’s annual consumption of whiteleg shrimps stands at 30,000 tonnes, far exceeding domestic production, the ministry said. Taiwan used to fill the gap by importing shrimps from Honduras, but purchases slumped after Tegucigalpa severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan
The Executive Yuan yesterday approved a southwestern extension of the Sanying MRT Line from New Taipei to Bade District (八德) in Taoyuan, with a goal of starting construction by late 2026. The 4.03-kilometer extension, featuring three new stations, will run from the current terminus at Yingtao Fude Station (LB12) in New Taipei City to Dannan Station (LB14), where it will connect with Taoyuan’s Green Line, New Taipei City Metro Corp said in a statement. This extension will follow the completion of core Sanying Line, a 14.29-kilometer medium-capacity system linking Tucheng (土城), Sansia (三峽)
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,