The Taiwan Rural Front led more than a dozen self-help groups from across the country — set up by those claiming grievances after government land expropriations — to Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei yesterday to protest what they called unnecessary and excessive land grabs that are executed “only for the benefit of local governments and big corporations.”
Despite amendments made to the Land Expropriation Act (土地徵收條例) due to public pressure in 2011, the total area of land expropriated has surged from 5,709 hectares three years ago to 11,490 hectares, and that is “the tip of the iceberg,” the Taiwan Rural Front said, urging the government to halt all controversial land expropriations.
The groups gathered in front of the Presidential Office Building two weeks before the nine-in-one elections to call on the electorate to vote against local government officials who have sanctioned land expropriations to line the pockets of big corporations.
Photo: Lo Pei-der, Taipei Times
Self-help organization members traveled from New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Greater Taichung, Changhua and Greater Tainan, representing at least 16 cases of land expropriations that were executed “for land speculation in the name of major construction projects,” the groups said.
Taiwan Rural Front chairman Hsu Shih-jung (徐世榮), who is also a professor in the Department of Land Economics at National Chengchi University, said no attempt has been made to reduce the number of land expropriations.
“The Taoyuan Aerotropolis involves the largest area of land used for a project in the nation’s history — 4,771 hectares — of which 3,121 hectares are to be acquired by expropriations, which is tantamount to 120 Daan Forest Parks,” Hsu said. “There is also the Taiwan Knowledge Economy Flagship Park (台灣知識經濟旗鑑園區), a case that has been in dispute for more than a decade. Ninety-four percent of its 447 hectares are in a special agricultural zone.”
Photo: Courtesy of Taiwan Rural Front
“Zone expropriation and land consolidation are two approaches to acquiring land sanctioned by the Equalization of Land Rights Act (平均地權條例) and the Urban Planning Act (都市計劃法), but why is the former the one that is constantly used?” asked Thomas Chan (詹順貴), a lawyer involved in the situation in Dapu Borough (大埔) in Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township (竹南) last year and a long-time human rights and environmental activist.
“General-turned-politician former premier Hau Pei-tsun (郝柏村) in 1989 issued an order stating that zone expropriation would be the only approach used for changing farmland into construction sites, without regard for human rights,” Chan said. “Also, 20 percent of the expropriated land can be auctioned by the local government. It is a ‘no-cost business,’ the earnings of which can be used to secure the support of local factions.”
The groups criticized local government heads from both the pan-blue and pan-green camps, including Miaoli County Commissioner Liu Cheng-hung (劉政鴻) and Greater Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德), and said only the public can protect their rights and teach “black-hearted politicians” a lesson through voting.
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