Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) chairman Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) yesterday visited the four families in Dapu Borough (大埔), Miaoli County, whose houses were demolished last month, condemning the county government and pledging his efforts to amend laws concerning land expropriation.
“There are times when the government has to expropriate private land for the benefit of the public, but this should happen only when it is absolutely necessary for the good of the public — not for the good of big corporations or political leaders,” Su said.
“When the government takes private land, it must make sure that the expropriation is carried out in an appropriate manner,” Su added.
Photo: CNA
“The government should not view those who oppose the expropriation as enemies. Government leaders should not tear down people’s houses whenever the ‘godgiven opportunity’ presents itself,” he said.
Su was referring to the Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung’s (劉政鴻) response to criticism over the demolition of the houses belonging to families of Chang (張), Chu (朱), Huang (黃) and Ko (柯) when the families and their supporters protested the forced demolition plan in Taipei last month.
After speaking with the four families and visiting their houses — as well as the site where the Changs’ house once stood — Su said he understood why the demolitions had caused upset, adding that the county government’s reasoning that traffic would be blocked if the houses were not demolished was “just an excuse.”
During the visit, Chang Sen-wen (張森文), one of the former occupants of the demolished houses, asked Su to help to find ways to rebuild their homes.
Chang’s wife, Peng Hsiu-chun (彭秀春), urged the DPP to work to amend laws concerning the expropriation of private lands and houses, “because this could affect everyone.”
DPP Legislator Wu Yi-chen (吳宜臻), who accompanied Su on the visit, said the DPP caucus would do its best to campaign for the revision of the Land Expropriation Act (土地徵收條例) and the Agricultural Development Act (農業發展條例).
“The Land Expropriation Act needs revision to guarantee a more just and transparent review process for land seizure,” Wu said.
“It is surprising that there currently is no mechanism to protect farmers from having their farmland taken by the government. Instead, there are clauses facilitating the expropriation of farmlands for development projects,” Wu said.
Wu added that besides amending the laws concerning land expropriation, she would try to make a law on farmlands.
“At this point in time, I think we need more comprehensive laws to protect our farmlands from being used for non-agricultural purposes,” Wu said. “This would be the next appropriate step after amending the Land Expropriation Act and the Agricultural Development Act.”
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
BETTER SERVICE QUALITY: From Nov. 10, tickets with reserved seats would only be valid for the date, train and route specified on the ticket, THSRC said Starting on Nov. 10, high-speed rail passengers with reserved seats would be required to exchange their tickets to board an earlier train. Passengers with reserved seats on a specific train are currently allowed to board earlier trains on the same day and sit in non-reserved cars, but as this is happening increasingly often, and affecting quality of travel and ticket sales, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced that it would be canceling the policy on Nov. 10. It is one of several new measures launched by THSRC chairman Shih Che (史哲) to improve the quality of service, it said. The company also said
RSS