The Legislative Yuan today passed an amendment that would allow public redevelopment or relocation of all military dependents’ villages, regardless of age.
The current definition of “old military dependents’ villages” under Article 3 of the Act for Rebuilding Old Quarters for Military Dependents (國軍老舊眷村改建條例) refers to those completed before Dec. 31, 1980.
The amendment passed in the third reading today changes the definition to residences built before the act came into effect that are in urgent need of reconstruction or relocation.
Photo: CNA
The amendment was proposed by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) following a dispute over the relocation of residents of Tsu Ren Eighth Village (慈仁八村) in Taipei’s Daan District (大安).
The village was the last one “abandoned” by the Ministry of National Defense due to the existing cutoff date, Lo said.
The revision addresses an oversight by the ministry that left the village ineligible for assistance under the law, he said.
The amendment applies only to the relocation of about 50 households in the village, not full-scale reconstruction, he added.
When the definition of old military dependents’ villages was established in 1996, it covered housing built before 1980, he said.
It is necessary to revise and loosen the definition to reflect current circumstances, as more than 20 years have passed since then, Lo added.
The government spent NT$500 million (US$15.84 million) about 15 years ago to construct the Wanlong New Housing Complex (萬隆新舍) to relocate residents from 27 military dependents’ villages, including the Tsu Ren Eighth Village, he said.
Due to the ministry’s negligence, the housing complex has sat largely vacant, incurring annual maintenance costs of NT$12 million, he said.
With the new amendments, residents of the Tsu Ren Eighth Village would be able to relocate, while the Wanlong New Housing Complex would no longer be left idle, he said.
The ministry could repurpose the Tsu Ren Eighth Village for dormitories, he added, calling it a “win-win-win” outcome.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chung Chia-pin (鍾佳濱) said the amendment is not a relief measure, but rather a case of privilege and potential malpractice.
By removing the year-based definition, military housing built under the act could cite the Tsu Ren Eighth Village case to demand rebuilding, opening the door to abuse, he said.
He accused opposition lawmakers of tailoring legislation to individual cases for personal gain, benefiting specific groups and undermining housing justice.
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
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