Greater Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan’s (鄭文燦) endorsement of the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project has drawn furious opposition from local residents and activist groups.
The Aerotropolis project requires the expropriation of more than 3,000 hectares of private land housing about 46,000 people, making it the largest eviction plan in the nation’s history. It would see commercial and residential areas, as well as a free economic pilot zone, established around Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport.
The groups said that Cheng supporting the project made him seem “schizophrenic” toward the issue, because when he was running for mayor on the Democratic Progressive Party’s ticket, he had vowed to reconsider it.
The criticism was sparked by remarks Cheng made at a municipal meeting in Taoyuan on Wednesday, where he said he would refrain from “making any hasty modifications” to the Aerotropolis project, since the plan has already been approved and changing it would “affect land prices in the area.”
He said that the area designated for development would serve as a local commercial hub in the future, adding that the construction plans should be implemented according to the principles of democratic participation and transparency.
Led by the Taiwan Association of Human Rights (TAHR) and the Taoyuan Aerotropolis Self-Help Organization, dozens of protesters rallied outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei yesterday, where Cheng was attending a meeting.
The groups also blasted Premier Mao Chih-kuo (毛治國) and Minister of Transportation and Communications Yeh Kuang-shih (葉匡時) for “recklessly imposing” the plan.
“We wonder if Cheng has buckled under pressure from the central government,” TAHR deputy secretary-general Wang Pao-hsuan (王寶萱) said. “We urge Cheng to fulfill the promises he made to his voters.”
Given that the environmental impact assessment of a proposal to build a third runway at the airport is not set to take place until 2022, it is unreasonable to make land expropriation plans now, Wang said.
National Chengchi University professor Hsu Shih-jung (徐世榮) said the amount of land expropriations carried out in a country can be seen as an indicator of the development of human rights.
Taiwan’s land seizure legislation was established during the Martial Law era — legally equipping the government to abuse its power in this area, Hsu added.
In response, Cheng said that any expropriation for the Aerotropolis project would only be executed with the consent of local residents, adding that any changes to core areas of the plan would need to be negotiated with the central government.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS