The Cabinet yesterday proposed revised rules on farmland expropriation with a view to preventing indiscriminate development of arable land by turning it into non-agricultural use and ensuring the rights of displaced farmers.
Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺), who presented an amendment to the Land Expropriation Act (土地徵收條例) for discussion at a Cabinet meeting, said the government aimed to push the bill through before the legislature goes into recess in mid-December.
Jiang said the amendment by and large sought to answer public concerns over the expropriation of farmland in the wake of several controversial conversion projects in recent years.
The government proposed introducing an article to “preserve arable farmland” which stipulates that certain areas designated for agricultural and pasture uses cannot be targeted for conversion by land developers.
EXCEPTION
However, a long list of exception are to be made in the case of use by the military, transportation, public utilities, irrigation, sanitation and environmental protection or major construction projects approved by the Executive Yuan, Jiang said.
If the legislature passes the bill, land developers would be required to evaluate how their projects would impact an area in terms of economics, social-cultural effects, bio-diversity and the environment before a comprehensive assessment could be made as to whether a project is necessary and whether it brings with it countervailing public benefits.
The bill would also require that land developers negotiate prices with land owners facing expropriation based on market price, thereby addressing one of the major criticisms at present, that -government-declared valuations have been too low.
HELPING HAND
An additional article says that land developers are required to accommodate displaced low and middle-income families until they are able to find a place to settle down permanently either by providing them with temporarily accommodation, or rent and mortgage assistance.
The amendment would also allow land owners to opt for compensation in the form of land if they later decide that is preferable to any cash compensation.
To ensure and respect the wishes of farmers who want to continue farming after their farmland is expropriated, the bill said land developers should designate an area specifically for agriculture use in any expropriation project.
In related news, Jiang said that the Cabinet was also deliberating amendments to the Real Estate Broking Management Act (不動產經紀業管理條例) and the Statute for Equalization of Land Rights (平均地權條例), both of which would soon be referred to the legislature for review.
If passed, the two amendments and an amendment to the Land Administration Agent Act (地政士法), which is undergoing legislative review, could help establish a database of real-estate transaction prices that would serve as basis when determining a fair price for land subject to expropriation, Jiang said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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