Amis singer Panai Kusui yesterday said at a protest against the extension of Asia Cement Corp’s mining rights that the nation’s Aborigines have no hope, accusing the government of being insincere in its vow to protect Aboriginal land from exploitation.
Following a protest at the Executive Yuan in Taipei on Monday, environmental groups yesterday gathered in front of the Legislative Yuan to raise concerns about what they called an illegal extension of Asia Cement’s mining rights approved on March 14.
They urged lawmakers to review 13 proposed amendments to the Mining Act (礦業法) in the current extraordinary legislative session.
Photo: CNA
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) on Tuesday last week instructed the Ministry of Economic Affairs to explain within one week how the decision was made to extend Asia Cement’s permits, saying the amendments would be reviewed in the next legislative session in September.
On Monday, the ministry said that its extension approval was not illegal.
In previous protests, the groups had cited Article 21 of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (原住民族基本法), which stipulates that development on Aboriginal land must be approved by the communities that would be affected.
However, the ministry said that the article did not apply to the extension of mining rights, citing a conclusion reached by the Executive Yuan in a meeting on Nov. 7 last year.
Panai, who has spent the past 118 days camped on Ketagalan Boulevard to protest regulations relating to Aboriginal land, said the government has repeatedly deceived Aborigines over the Asia Cement case.
“This generation of Aborigines is without hope, because the nation uses laws to persecute us time and again,” she said.
“Are the laws really aimed at protecting people?” she asked. “How can ministers without portfolio Chang Ching-sen (張景森) and Lin Wan-i (林萬億) forcefully deprive us of our rights?”
Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association lawyer Hsieh Meng-yu (謝孟羽) said the ministry was distorting the law, citing its position that “land development activity” defined in the Geology Act (地質法) does not include the extension of mining rights.
The association has helped a few Aborigines reacquire their land from Asia Cement, Hsieh said, but added that they are still unable to use their land.
As Article 47 of the Mining Act enables companies to take pre-emptive action, “only when those people saw the [news on] TV did they know their lands were to be exploited by Asia Cement for another 20 years,” he said.
Citizen of the Earth, Taiwan researcher Pan Cheng-cheng (潘正正) said there are 188 active mines nationwide, but only 25 of them have been subject to environmental impact assessments.
Asia Cement’s mining activity in Hualien County’s Sincheng Township (新城) has come under renewed public criticism after aerial footage by filmmaker Chi Po-lin (齊柏林) appeared to show that the company had expanded its operations at the site, even though the firm said it had reduced them.
Chi died in a helicopter crash in Hualien on June 10 while filming a sequel to his documentary Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above (看見台灣).
SHIPS, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES: The ministry has announced changes to varied transportation industries taking effect soon, with a number of effects for passengers Beginning next month, the post office is canceling signature upon delivery and written inquiry services for international registered small packets in accordance with the new policy of the Universal Postal Union, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday. The new policy does not apply to packets that are to be delivered to China, the ministry said. Senders of international registered small packets would receive a NT$10 rebate on postage if the packets are sent from Jan. 1 to March 31, it added. The ministry said that three other policies are also scheduled to take effect next month. International cruise ship operators
NUMBERS IMBALANCE: More than 4 million Taiwanese have visited China this year, while only about half a million Chinese have visited here Beijing has yet to respond to Taiwan’s requests for negotiation over matters related to the recovery of cross-strait tourism, the Tourism Administration said yesterday. Taiwan’s tourism authority issued the statement after Chinese-language daily the China Times reported yesterday that the government’s policy of banning group tours to China does not stop Taiwanese from visiting the country. As of October, more than 4.2 million had traveled to China this year, exceeding last year. Beijing estimated the number of Taiwanese tourists in China could reach 4.5 million this year. By contrast, only 500,000 Chinese tourists are expected in Taiwan, the report said. The report
HORROR STORIES: One victim recounted not realizing they had been stabbed and seeing people bleeding, while another recalled breaking down in tears after fleeing A man on Friday died after he tried to fight the knife-wielding suspect who went on a stabbing spree near two of Taipei’s busiest metro stations, Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安) said. The 57-year-old man, identified by his family name, Yu (余), encountered the suspect at Exit M7 of Taipei Main Station and immediately tried to stop him, but was fatally wounded and later died, Chiang said, calling the incident “heartbreaking.” Yu’s family would receive at least NT$5 million (US$158,584) in compensation through the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp’s (TRTC) insurance coverage, he said after convening an emergency security response meeting yesterday morning. National
The Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency yesterday launched a gift box to market honey “certified by a Formosan black bear” in appreciation of a beekeeper’s amicable interaction with a honey-thieving bear. Beekeeper Chih Ming-chen (池明鎮) in January inspected his bee farm in Hualien County’s Jhuosi Township (卓溪) and found that more than 20 beehives had been destroyed and many hives were eaten, with bear droppings and paw prints near the destroyed hives, the agency said. Chih returned to the farm to move the remaining beehives away that evening when he encountered a Formosan black bear only 20m away, the agency said. The bear
RSS