Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus whip Tsai Chi-chang (蔡其昌) and a campaigner for the preservation of historic sites Wu Er-fu (吳爾夫), yesterday accused Taiwan Sugar Co (Taisugar) of intentionally destroying dormitories built during the Japanese colonial era — which have been temporarily designated as historic buildings — at the site of the former Huwei Sugar Plantation.
“There have been rumors that Taisugar planned to destroy the dormitories which are of historical significance, to make way for its own development project,” Wu told a news conference at the legislature.
“Although the company has always denied the rumors, it did leave the buildings without maintenance, so if they collapsed from decay or caught fire, the company could demolish the buildings ‘for safety reasons,’” he added.
Wu said that in 1996 there were still 60 dormitory buildings standing, but now there are only 13 left.
He said that, though the operation of the plantation had already been suspended for decades, the Huwei Sugar Plantation still played an important role in the memories of local residents and that “those who have some ‘intentions’ should stop treating historic buildings in such a violent way.”
Tsai also questioned Taisugar’s response to the fire.
“While many locals were saddened by the fire that burned down these historic buildings in May, Taisugar, as owners, for some reason did not seem to be eager to discover the cause of the fire,” Tsai said. “The company’s attitude over the incident is rather suspicious.”
According to the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act (文化資產保存法), a building of potential historic importance can be designated a temporary historic site while a local or central government-level cultural heritage authority reviews whether it is to be officially designated a historic site.
Taisugar’s district manager Hung Tien-tsai (洪天財) denied that the company purposely left the buildings to decay and burn, then demolished them out of safety concerns.
“The buildings are 95 percent burned; it’s almost impossible to repair them in that state,” Hung said. “It’s actually because of a request from local residents that we accelerated the process to clear the buildings after the fire.”
He also rebutted the accusation that Taisugar seeks to turn the sugar plantation into a development project, saying that the Ministry of the Interior is looking at turning the former sugar plantation into a tourist attraction.
“We are therefore not allowed to do anything without the ministry’s consent,” Huang said.
Lee Wan-tzu (李宛慈), a cultural heritage specialist representing the Ministry of Culture, suggested that Taisugar should negotiate more with the local residents to decide on the future development of the former sugar plantation.
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