Legislators yesterday stated their displeasure with plans to demolish a military residence in Chingshui Township (
The Ministry of National Defense has been renovating its military residences -- which typically provide housing for dependants of permanent force members -- since 1980, demolishing old bases, constructing new ones and relocating military families.
But such actions may cause irreparable damage to military community culture, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Chi-chang (
In addition, the renovations in Taichung County also threaten the Chungshe Relics (
Tsai said that the ministry and the National Property Bureau should immediately halt the renovations as well as the build-operate-transfer (BOT) project in the area in order to preserve local culture.
BOT projects are carried out after old houses in military residences have been torn down so that the land can be divided into smaller parcels and sold, Tsai said.
The land should be given to the Council for Cultural Affairs so that it can preserve the site, Tsai said, rather than risk the relics being destroyed by a contractor. The relics could also be used to promote tourism in Taichung, he added.
Hu Shu-hsien (
"The [military residences] are significant because they represent the threat of war and the hope of peace," Hu said.
Military culture should be preserved along with the Chungshe Relics to form a larger cultural area, she said.
DPP Legislator Lee Wen-chung (
Lee said that discussions would be held between legislators and the Council for Cultural Affairs next week, and that plans would be drawn up with the National Property Bureau before next month.
Tsai said that the Ministry of National Defense and the National Property Bureau would have to reach an agreement before the Council for Cultural Affairs could step in.
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