Protesters who have for months been camping outside the National Taiwan University Hospital MRT station in Taipei in a demonstration against the government’s definition of traditional Aboriginal land were yesterday evicted by the Taipei Rapid Transit Corp.
The exclusion of private land in the guidelines defining traditional Aboriginal territories, announced by the Council of Indigenous Peoples in February last year, motivated Aboriginal activists to camp on Ketagalan Boulevard in front of the Presidential Office Building for 100 days.
Police in June last year moved the demonstrators from Ketagalan Boulevard, who then set up camp outside the MRT station near the 228 Memorial Park to continue their protest.
However, a notice from MRT operator Taipei Rapid Transit Corp on Thursday said that the protesters would be fined NT$1,500 for the establishment of the encampment, which they said violated the Mass Rapid Transit Act (大眾捷運法), and that they must move by 8pm yesterday or face forced removal by the police.
The order came after the city government demanded that the Alliance of Referendum for Taiwan remove its tents that have stood for nearly a decade outside the Legislative Yuan by on March 20 or face forced removal on March 23.
The same demand was issued to veterans’ group 800 Heroes, whose tents have stood for almost a year outside the Legislative Yuan and which were removed on Thursday.
Documentary filmmaker Mayaw Biho, who was part of initiating the protest for Aborigines land rights, said that the other encampments that were removed this month were set up by people with political ideologies, whereas Aborigines are demanding transitional justice.
The city government should allow for diverse discussions on transitional justice, and Taipei, being the capital of a democratic nation and calling itself an advanced city, should allow people to hold demonstrations, he said.
“We do not know what type of transitional justice Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) is trying to pursue, but we are pursuing transitional justice, so we will not leave,” Amis singer-activist Panai Kusui said.
Taipei city government officials, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp personnel and police yesterday gathered at the protest site at about 9am announcing that the demonstrators should remove their belongings.
The protesters sat near the booth and refused to act, while TRTC personnel began to clear their camp.
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