After a month of continuous protests through art performances, activists and Amis Aborigines at Shanyuan Bay (杉原灣), Taitung County, who oppose the construction of a beachfront Meiliwan Resort Hotel gathered by the thousands again yesterday for a ritual ceremony at the beach.
The “besiege and fence” project by artists and activists to protest against the build-operate--transfer project was launched on June 10, followed by sit-ins and performances during the following month.
The Taitung County Government is suspected of illegally segmenting the land to avoid the need for an environmental impact assessment. After being sued by local residents and with a court ruling last year ordering a halt to construction, the county government -nevertheless authorized construction and issued licenses to the developer.
Photo: Chang Tsun-wei, Taipei Times
Construction was continuing as of press time.
About 20 environmental groups, community development organizations and civic groups gathered at the beach yesterday for a large-scale protest called “Thousands of people hold hands hohaiyan.”
Hohaiyan, a term often used in Aborigine folk songs, sounds like “shout to the ocean” in Mandarin, said Mayaw Biho (馬躍比吼), one of Taiwan’s most prolific Aboriginal documentary filmmakers. “That’s why we use it to symbolize our goal of protecting the ocean.”
The half-day protest began in the afternoon with elderly Amis, who led participants in a ritual prayer for blessings. The elders said they had lived in harmony with the ocean for generations and could not understand why the area was now being sold to private corporations.
Hand in hand, the protesters shouted that the resort hotel should be torn down and that construction that intrudes on Aborigine land rights and ignores the oceanic ecology must cease immediately.
Later on, the groups started a ritual symbolizing firing opposition toward the resort hotel.
“We want the government to know that while you are celebrating the Republic of China centenary, we are facing a bloody and tearful centenary,” Mayaw Biho said, adding that Aborigines had shared fish and the ocean with each other for centuries and would not yield the ocean to corporations.
Aborigines in eastern Taiwan are becoming increasingly deprived of their land rights, which is reminiscent of what happened to tribes in western parts of the country in the past century as economic development led to a boom in construction, Mayaw Bih said.
Continuing into the night, more than 20 groups and bands performed at the beach, including Aboriginal folk singer Panai (巴奈) and Takanow (達卡鬧), a singer of Rukai (魯凱族) and Paiwan (排灣族) ancestry.
Earlier on Friday, artists and cultural workers held a press conference to protest against what they termed inappropriate development and procedural injustice by the government benefiting corporations at the expense of residents.
“Developing tourism doesn’t mean you must exploit the land. You must get to know the local culture in depth and respect local Aborigines. Then you can decide what to do,” said a tearful Takanow, a resident near Sansiantai (三仙台), which is also threatened by construction.
“I came to Taiwan 15 years ago and I love Taiwan. However, do you think I like Taiwan because there are huge resort hotels everywhere? No. I love Taiwan because of the unique natural environment and unique Aboriginal cultures,” musician and environmental activist Matthew Lien said.
POLAM KOPITIAM CASE: Of the two people still in hospital, one has undergone a liver transplant and is improving, while the other is being evaluated for a liver transplant A fourth person has died from bongkrek acid poisoning linked to the Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) restaurant in Taipei’s Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday, as two other people remain seriously ill in hospital. The first death was reported on March 24. The man had been 39 years old and had eaten at the restaurant on March 22. As more cases of suspected food poisoning involving people who had eaten at the restaurant were reported by hospitals on March 26, the ministry and the Taipei Department of Health launched an investigation. The Food and
The long-awaited Taichung aquarium is expected to open next year after more than a decade of development. The building in Cingshui District (清水) is to feature a large ocean aquarium on the first floor, coral display area on the second floor, a jellyfish tank and Dajia River (大甲溪) basin display on the third, a river estuary display and restaurant on the fourth, and a cafe and garden on the fifth. As it is near Wuci Fishing Port (梧棲漁港), many are expecting the opening of the aquarium to bring more tourism to the harbor. Speaking at the city council on Monday, Taichung City Councilor
A fourth person has died in a food poisoning outbreak linked to the Xinyi (信義) branch of Malaysian restaurant chain Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in Taipei, Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare Victor Wang (王必勝) said on Monday. It was the second fatality in three days, after another was announced on Saturday. The 40-year-old woman experienced multiple organ failure in the early hours on Monday, and the family decided not to undergo emergency resuscitation, Wang said. She initially showed signs of improvement after seeking medical treatment for nausea, vomiting and diarrhea, but her condition worsened due to an infection, he said. Two others who
Taiwanese should be mindful when visiting China, as Beijing in July is likely to tighten the implementation of policies on national security following the introduction of two regulations, a researcher said on Saturday. China on Friday unveiled the regulations governing the law enforcement and judicial activities of national security agencies. They would help crack down on “illegal” and “criminal” activities that Beijing considers to be endangering national security, according to reports by China’s state media. The definition of what constitutes a national security threat in China is vague, Taiwan Thinktank researcher Wu Se-chih (吳瑟致) said. The two procedural regulations are to provide Chinese