Opponents of a planned railroad tunnel in Tainan yesterday threatened forceful measures at a protest that saw activists supported by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers.
More than 30 people gathered in front of the Ministry of the Interior building in Taipei, several wearing white mourning clothes, holding up ceremonially framed portraits to commemorate elderly residents who have passed away during the extended struggle.
“The movement against the railroad’s eastward shift is going to enter a new stage, because we have to start using more forceful means to make government officials let us reason with them,” said Chen Chih-hsiao (陳致曉), spokesperson for a residents’ self-help organization.
Chen said the group would start “wrecking” things if the city government refused to put the plan on hold and stage hearings.
“We’ve always sought to use rational means to reason with the government, but the [Tainan] Urban Planning Commission’s process has not given us any opportunities, instead allowing political interests to win out over what is right,” he said, adding that the Tainan City Government has refused to hold hearings, instead relying on “top-down” communication.
The protest was sparked by rumors that the ministry is to give the plan its final approval next week, with the Tainan City Government having already given the green light.
Chen said that any further consideration of the plans should be put on hold until the incoming administration of president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) takes office on May 20 to force the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) government to take full responsibility for the plans, which were promulgated by the administration of Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), a DPP member.
The plan is to demolish more than 400 houses along 8km of railroad to facilitate tunneling efforts, which has drawn criticism over the permanent expropriation of more than 4 hectares of land, while previous plans said land would be returned following the tunnel’s completion.
The protest was attended by KMT legislators for the first time as the party caucus appeared to throw itself behind the cause, sending KMT Transportation Committee co-convener Chen Hsuen-sheng (陳雪生) and Internal Administration Committee co-convener Huang Chao-shun (黃昭順) to speak in support of the protesters’ demands.
“We are vulnerable and don’t have the power to pick our friends,” Chen Chih-hsiao said, adding that he was “extremely surprised” at the KMT legislators’ attendance because the party’s officials “do not normally attend these kinds of events.”
“The fact that they are paying attention to this issue will help bring social justice to the legislature, because it shows that you do not have to rely entirely on the DPP or the New Power Party (NPP),” he said, adding that DPP legislators were afraid to touch the issue, while NPP legislators have only been willing to give “spiritual support.”
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