A weaving factory in Shihlin district yesterday called for a permanent halt to the Taipei City Government's allegedly illegal demolition of part of its buildings to make room for a long-delayed municipal park.
The project is currently suspended until next Monday to give time for the company to relocate its office facilities. About 20 out of the company's 200 employees have been forced to take leave because there is no office space available for them to work.
George Lee (
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
"I don't know what I'm supposed to do, as half of the factory has already been torn down," he said. "We want to know why on earth Ma Ying-jeou (
Ma could not be reached for comment as of press time yesterday.
Lee said the company had no plan to buy back the land, and remained at a loss as to the need to build another park, as he believed there to be plenty in the district already.
The controversy began on June 30 when the company's employees staged a demonstration outside the factory, located opposite the late Chiang Kai-shek's official Shihlin residence.
They protested against both the demolition work planned by the city's Office of City Parks and Street Lights (公園路燈工程管理處) and the way in which it was scheduled -- the company said it received notification of the city government's intent just one day before the wrecking crew arrived.
"They didn't give us enough time to relocate and the demolition is an illegal act anyway," Lee said.
According to Lee, the city purchased 6,600m2 of land from the company in 1988 at the price of NT$346 million, to make room for the No. 21 Municipal Park, which was to stretch from Fulin Road to Chungchen Road and was scheduled to have been completed by last Friday.
Although the Taipei City Council approved a compensation budget of NT$55 million in 1994, it was not until March 21 this year -- a total of 12 years since the original acquisition deal was made -- that it announced it had acquired the buildings too.
New regulations regarding city property purchases came into effect on Feb. 4 of this year, mandating that when acquisitions are made, both the land and buildings on the property must be taken into account simultaneously.
Lee then took the case to the city's Commission for Examining Petitions and Appeals (
First, although the city had bought the land, the buildings still technically belonged to the company, and if the city wished to dismantle the buildings, it should have acquired the them and issued compensation for their destruction -- and in addition given the company five months notice of its intent to do so.
Lee said that he neither received compensation for the factory buildings nor notification of the city's intent to demolish them.
Parks and streetlights department deputy director Tu Sung-yen (屠松炎), however, stood firm on the implementation of the project.
"Everything we do is conducted in accordance with the law," he said. "If they have any problem with that, they can go ahead and sue us."
An official at the city's Department of Land Administration (
She said that Lee refused to accept the NT$55 million compensation package, knowing that he would be able to manipulate the city government at a later date -- either to demand more compensation or to sue as "a victim" if the city government pressed on with its demolition plans.
Since the compensation funds are currently in a special safekeeping account, rather at the direct disposal of the city, the money has technically been paid to the company, she said.
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