The Hsinchu Forest District Office plans to file charges against the privately owned Taoyuan Irrigation Association over the organization’s alleged profiteering by occupying and leasing out four plots of public land covering more than 226,000m2 in a Shihmen Reservoir catchment basin.
The Water Resources Agency’s Geographic Data System shows that the plots are in the No. 4 National Forest, overseen by the Forestry Bureau.
The plots are close to Taoyuan’s Dasi District (大溪) and have a combined market value of about NT$140 million (US$4.44 million), the data showed.
Photo: Sean Lin, Taipei Times
An independent investigation by Green Formosa Front standing director Lin Chang-mao (林長茂) found that a mountain road leading to the plots had been fenced off twice, with a sign on a gate further down the road reading: “Fierce dogs inside. Do not enter.”
He said that suspected tenants have over recent years built a temple dedicated to the Four-Faced Buddha, which would likely be open to the public in the future.
A comparison of an aerial map in the system, created in 2013, and a more recent image from Google Maps found more potential illegal developments in the national forest, including two plots that used to have a high tree density.
While gathering evidence on one of the plots yesterday, Lin was confronted by a pack of dogs apparently there to scare off any “intruders.”
He was later confronted by the purported tenants, a man and a woman, who happened to be nearby.
When the man asked Lin what he was doing there, Lin countered by asking the man whether he knew that he was occupying public land.
The man denied the allegation, claiming that he leased the plot from the Taoyuan Irrigation Association.
“How dare you act so blatantly after I’ve caught you trespassing?” the man said to Lin.
Hsinchu Forest District Office official Chou Yi-che (周以哲) later rejected the man’s claim, saying that his agency is working to prosecute the association, which illegally leased the plots belonging to the Forestry Bureau.
He said that the agency would “definitely” take legal action against the association once it finishes assessing the structures, including the tarmac and concrete used in the construction of the temple.
He said that the temple would likely face demolition and the measurements are a reference to the areas that must be restored to their former states.
Chou’s remarks drew criticism from Lin, who said that it has been six months since he first informed the agency of the potential violations and that the agency has been slow to take action.
Asked to comment on the issue, Forestry Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Hung-chih (楊宏志) said that by law, all temples built in national forests after July 1993 should be demolished.
The bureau would see to it that any illegal structures in the forest are demolished and all illegally occupied land vacated, he said.
Under the Forestry Act (森林法), only public infrastructure such as schools and hospitals, or facilities that can improve national defense, traffic or water distribution, may be built in national forests.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
MORE NEEDED: Recall drives against legislators in Miaoli’s two districts and Hsinchu’s second district were still a few thousand signatures short of the second-stage threshold Campaigners aiming to recall Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators yesterday said they expect success in 30 out of 35 districts where drives have passed the second-stage threshold, which would mark a record number of recall votes held at once. Hsinchu County recall campaigners yesterday announced that they reached the second-stage threshold in the recall effort against Legislator Lin Szu-ming (林思銘). A total of 26,414 signatures have been gathered over the past two months, surpassing the 10 percent threshold of 23,287 in Hsinchu County’s second electoral district, chief campaigner Hsieh Ting-ting (謝婷婷) said. “Our target is to gather an additional 1,500 signatures to reach
RSS