President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday instructed the Cabinet and the Ministry of the Interior to handle the Dapu Borough (大埔), Miaoli County, forced demolition case after a court ruled the expropriation had been illegal, the Presidential Office said yesterday.
The Taichung High Administrative Court on Friday reversed a previous verdict and ruled that the process the government used to take the land from four households had violated the law.
The court said that the ministry had not conducted a proper review of public interest and necessity before proceeding with the project.
Finding in favor of four families who filed administrative suits after their land was taken from them without their consent, the court ordered the government to return the land to the plaintiffs.
However, lawsuits on similar grounds by 19 other landowners were rejected because they had agreed to the terms of the land expropriation and were not in need of the court’s protection, the court ruled.
Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻), a driving force behind the project since he took office in 2005, yesterday said that the ruling left him uncertain about how to promote economic development if every project was subject to court review.
The county government began the process of trying to take land for the project by force in June 2010.
Liu said that economic development is the only way for the people to have a good life, but future development projects may all be delayed by pending court decisions, “therefore the impact of the Dapu verdict is too serious for Taiwan’s future economic development.”
He added that it has been five years since the Dapu development project first began, and in another five years it may still not be finished.
He said he was therefore worried about Taiwan’s future, especially when development projects in China are much more efficient.
Asked if he will appeal the case, Liu said the ministry has not contacted him, and they have not talked on the issue.
Commenting on Liu’s remarks, Peng Hsiu-chuan (彭秀春) yesterday said: “It’s really ridiculous.”
She said that as a simple citizen, she only humbly wishes to take back the land belonging to her family and have a peaceful life: “Economic development is something those top officials should take care of, we simple citizens have no power to intervene.”
Chu Ping-kun (朱炳坤), whose home was one of the ones demolished, said that even if it is good for economic growth, the government should not forcibly seize private land without negotiating with them.
Ko Chih-chuan (柯智傳), another affected resident, said that farmers need to grow vegetables or fruits to feed their families, and that without their farmland they may become homeless.
Another affected resident, Huang Kun-yu (黃坤裕), said he would give his full support if the government was doing something to benefit the public, but in the Dapu case, he said the land was taken to sell for high-rise housing: “It has nothing to do with developing the economy.”
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
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
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS