Members of two civic groups yesterday condemned the rejection of their appeal to return land expropriated duraing the Dapu Incident to the original owners, promising to continue their fight in court and calling on the incoming administration of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to put pressure on the Miaoli County Government.
About 30 members of the Miaoli Youth Alliance and Taiwan Rural Front came together with residents of Miaoli County’s Dapu Borough (大埔) to protest the decision, which turned down the residents’ appeal to have the land returned to them after its expropriation was ruled illegal.
“The court has already ruled against the government and logically this would mean that the ‘status quo’ should be restored — why can the courts not side with vulnerable and underprivileged people?” Taiwan Rural Front chairman Hsu Shih-jung (徐世榮) said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
“The Taichung High Administrative Court has used a procedural question to avoid the logic on which it should have issued a ruling,” said Thomas Chan (詹順貴), an attorney and rights campaigner who represents the landowners free of charge.
He said the court violated precedent by ruling that the Miaoli County Government was only a participant in the civic groups’ original lawsuit against the Ministry of the Interior and was therefore not subject to a direct ruling.
In 2013, the ministry approved the Miaoli County Government’s expropriation of farmland in the county’s Jhunan Township (竹南) to expand the Hsinchu Science Park, leading to the forcible demolition of four family houses in Dapu.
Chan said that civic groups at the time had no choice but to file a lawsuit against the ministry over the expropriation, adding that the groups would appeal the court’s decision while continuing to pursue a separate lawsuit against the Miaoli County Government seeking monetary compensation.
The groups also called on Tsai’s incoming administration to put pressure on the Miaoli County Government to return the land to spare the landowners the trouble of a drawn-out legal process.
“We hope that after Tsai takes office she can resolve the issue, otherwise it would be extremely difficult for us to keep going,” said Peng Hsiu-chun (彭秀春), widow of Chang Sen-wen (張森文), who committed suicide shortly after his pharmacy was torn down during the demolition.
Youth Alliance for Miaoli member Chen Kuan-yu (陳冠宇) called for Tsai to find a “political” solution, while criticizing the court’s decision, saying it “opened the door” for further arbitrary expropriations.
“The court has used procedural reasoning to violate the rights of residents,” he said. “In the future, the county government will be able to forcibly expropriate your land and tear down your house and then present you with a fait accompli — telling you there is no way to restore the ‘status quo.’”
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
STAY COOL: The HPA recommended that people stay hydrated, use air-conditioning or fans while indoors, wear loose-fitting clothes and walk in the shade while outdoors Employers must implement measures such as installing cooling equipment, and providing drinking water and rest breaks for outdoor workers starting from Monday next week, the Taipei Department of Labor said on Sunday. Employers who fail to comply could face fines of NT$30,000 to NT$300,000 under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (職業安全衛生法), the department said. Businesses in Taipei employing fewer than 100 workers, as well as registered self-employed workers with labor insurance coverage, could receive on-site assessments and guidance from occupational safety consultants to help them apply for central government subsidies to implement or improve heat-protection measures, it said. Under the Ministry of
ISOLATION: The outposts would serve as support and backup bases, forcing US forces to either face China head-on or reroute, increasing travel time and operational costs China’s outposts in the South China Sea could be used to delay and constrain foreign forces during a conflict in the Taiwan Strait, giving Beijing a critical window to carry out amphibious landing and blockade operations, a report said. The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) forward operating bases on islands and reclaimed features in the South China Sea could delay foreign forces long enough for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to secure a key 48-to-72-hour window in the Taiwan Strait, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council found. The report, conducted by the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, examined
RSS