Residents of Taipei’s Huaguang (華光) community gathered in front of the Ministry of Justice in the capital yesterday, bringing along rubble to protest against the ministry’s forced demolition of their homes.
The controversy over the land on which the community stands began in 2006 after a project to transform it into one of the four economic and digital technology centers was unveiled.
In 2009, the area was rezoned as a commercial rather than residential area.
Photo: CNA
Last year, the Executive Yuan approved plans to remodel the area into a “second Roppongi district” — a district in Tokyo famed for its nightclubs — and officials began measuring all the buildings in the designated area in November.
Although the Executive Yuan initially intended to demolish the entire area before Dec. 31, then-Executive Yuan secretary-general Steven Chen (陳士魁) decided that the project overlapped with urban renewal projects and turned over the remodeling of the area to the Construction and Planning Administration.
Located close to the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and spanning 11 hectares of land, the community — where the demolition of buildings was scheduled to begin yesterday — has been home to soldiers and their famlilies who were unable to obtain living quarters after the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) relocated to Taiwan in 1949.
Following the first wave of demolitions last month, during which seven buildings were bulldozed, the ministry demolished two more buildings on Hangzhou Road yesterday.
About 30 residents and their supporters placed pieces of a demolished wall and other rubble in front of the Ministry of Justice in protest.
Police warnings that they would remove the rubble sparked outrage among the residents, who said the government was now trying to take even the rubble after it had already robbed them of their homes.
Wearing white shirts printed with blood stains, the residents lay on the ground in protest, accusing the ministry of violating their human rights and attempting to manipulate the judicial system to force them into a tight corner.
The residents left the site after calling for the demolition to be halted until the government comes up with an acceptable relocation plan, punctuating their last call with a rush at police guarding the ministry.
Meanwhile, ministry official Yang Ho-chin (楊合進) said that the government was executing its legal duty to demolish the properties before turning the land over to the Ministry of Finance.
Legally, the justice ministry cannot delay the demolition process, Yang said, adding that the Taipei City Government had agreed to provide 57 public housing units to help with the relocation of Huaguang community residents.
The Ministry of Justice planned to meet with community residents to discuss the issue yesterday, but the residents said that as they had not received any formal notification from the government about the meeting they refused to attend.
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Kaohsiung Tourism Bureau audited six hotels in an effort to prevent price gouging ahead of Korean band BTS’ concert tour in the city scheduled for Nov. 19, 21 and 22 this year. The bureau on Friday said that the audits — conducted in response to allegations of unfair pricing posted on social media — found no wrongdoing. These establishments included the local branches of Chateau de Chine, Hotel Nikko, My Humble House, and Grand Hai Lai, it said, adding that the Consumer Protection Commission would have penalized price gougers had the accusations been substantiated. The bureau said the Tourism Development Act
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS