An estimated 1,000 residents from Kaohsiung’s Cishan (旗山) and Neimen (內門) districts yesterday staged a demonstration in front of the Kaohsiung City Government building to protest a waste processor’s plan to build a landfill for industrial waste on a 150-hectare plot at the foot of Matou Mountain (馬頭山).
Given the large number of protesters — who arrived in 26 tour buses — the building was heavily guarded by police officers, who set up portable toilets to stop protesters from trying to enter city hall.
The demonstrators, led by a local self-help group, stood in the sun for two hours and asked to meet with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (陳菊) so that they could make their appeal.
Photo: CNA
Huang Sung-hung (黃松宏), a member of the group, said that the proposed site for the landfill is upstream of the Erren River (二仁溪), near the Agongdian Reservoir (阿公店水庫), and could pose a threat to the municipality’s water quality.
The site is also close to a plot reserved for a zoo, which has raised the ire of many residents, he said.
“Residents are afraid that the firm could dump potentially toxic substances and pollute their neighborhood,” he said.
He said naming the firm would be premature.
With temperatures exceeding 33°C, a 73-year-old woman surnamed Kung (龔) kneeled and implored Chen to come out and meet them.
Other protesters shouted: “Mayor, come out of your air-conditioned office.”
Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Derek Chen (陳金德) later appeared and promised that the mayor would listen to their appeals on another day.
Concerned that some of the elderly protesters might faint or develop heatstroke, the group accepted the offer and dispersed.
Meijhou Borough (媚洲) Warden Chen Yen-jen (陳彥任) earlier this month said that although the landfill is to be built in Neimen District, Cishan District — where the borough is located — would be seriously affected by pollution given the proximity of the two areas.
Shop owners along Cishan Old Street are also concerned that the landfill could spoil their business, he said.
Additional reporting by Sean Lin
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