The Ministry of the Interior’s efforts to reach settlement deals with the National Women’s League and Dapu Borough (大埔) residents involved in a development project have “yielded concrete results,” Minister of the Interior Yeh Jiunn-rong (葉俊榮) said yesterday at an annual policy review news conference.
“Instead of pressing criminal charges against the league, the ministry has chosen to respect the group and its history and focus on the most important issue — returning the money to the people,” Yeh said.
The ministry signed a memorandum of understanding with the league on Friday last week, following a lengthy trilateral negotiation with the group and the Executive Yuan’s Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee, which had dragged on for months.
Photo: CNA
Based on the agreement, the league is to give 90 percent of its assets to the national treasury, of which more than NT$2 million (US$67,590) is to be used to fund the government’s long-term care program, Yeh added.
The ministry has also reached an agreement with three families involved in the controversial Dapu development project last year, he said.
After a settlement had been reached between the government and residents in June last year, the Miaoli County Government rezoned the area and returned the land to them on Dec. 22, he added.
The residents received their compensation last week and work to rebuild their demolished houses is to begin soon, Yeh said.
“Hopefully we will see Peng Hsiu-chun (彭秀春) move into a new house this year,” he added.
Peng is the widow of Chang Sen-wen (張森文), who committed suicide in September 2013 after his family’s pharmacy was demolished two months earlier by order of then-Miaoli County commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻).
The ministry has helped promote a number of important bills, including amendments to the Housing Act (住宅法) and the Nationality Act (國籍法), as well as the Political Party Act (政黨法), Yeh said, adding that the Political Party Act is a milestone for the nation’s democracy, as it was passed on the 30th anniversary of the lifting of martial law.
The ministry has discussed plans with local governments to curb illegal structures that might pose a threat to public safety, Yeh said, adding that the ministry is looking into amending the Building Act (建築法).
“Central and local governments need to work together, because demolishing illegal structures costs money. So ensuring sufficient funding for local governments is an area we need to work on,” he added.
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