The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) yesterday launched an investigation into seven cases of forced relocations, saying the results would help the government develop better references for implementing urban transitional justice.
The government’s lax regulations on real estate led to the forced relocation of people who settled where they could, highlighting the clash between public property management and living rights, it said.
Moreover, it has resulted in the loss of opportunities to preserve unique urban landscapes and local memories, it said.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
NHRC commissioner Tian Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said the commission’s efforts stemmed from suggestions made by international academics in 2022 that the government conduct a systematic investigation into forced relocations.
The investigation would focus on incidents involving public property, interview those involved in forced relocations and review the paperwork related to administrative decisions leading to a forced relocation, she said, adding that the commission is basing its definition of “habitability” on that of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Starting next month until June, the commission would begin interviewing 40 people involved in seven major relocations over the past years, and would also arrange visits to understand the history of the settlements, how they were formed and how the law became a threat to communities, said National Taipei University College of Public Affairs associate professor Ho Yen-sheng (何彥陞), who is helping with the commission’s investigation.
Ho said that public asset management should not be an excuse for forcible relocations, adding that human rights, including the right to live, should be guaranteed for everyone.
The seven cases were the forced demolition of Huaguang Community; the Wolong Street community relocation; the Banciao Daguang Community relocation; the Sindian Liugong Canal eviction dispute; the Liu Family eviction case in New Taipei City’s Sansia District (三峽); and the Losheng Sanatorium eviction.
The interviews would be analyzed by experts from July to September, and compiled into references and possible policy suggestions by the end of the year, NHRC commissioner Kao Yung-cheng (高涌誠) said yesterday.
The government should be the stalwart protector of the people’s basic rights, he said.
The investigation aims to provide the government with constructive, progressive policy recommendations that would prevent tragedies of the past from recurring and ensure the implementation of urban transitional justice for the betterment of the public, he added.
This story has been amended since it was first published.
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
NAMING SPAT: The foreign ministry called on Denmark to propose an acceptable solution to the erroneous nationality used for Taiwanese on residence permits Taiwan has revoked some privileges for Danish diplomatic staff over a Danish permit that lists “Taiwan” as “China,” Eric Huang (黃鈞耀), head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of European Affairs, told a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Reporters asked Huang whether the Danish government had responded to the ministry’s request that it correct the nationality on Danish residence permits of Taiwanese, which has been listed as “China” since 2024. Taiwan’s representative office in Denmark continues to communicate with the Danish government, and the ministry has revoked some privileges previously granted to Danish representatives in Taiwan and would continue to review
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
The first bluefin tuna of the season, brought to shore in Pingtung County and weighing 190kg, was yesterday auctioned for NT$10,600 (US$333.5) per kilogram, setting a record high for the local market. The auction was held at the fish market in Donggang Fishing Harbor, where the Siaoliouciou Island-registered fishing vessel Fu Yu Ching No. 2 delivered the “Pingtung First Tuna” it had caught for bidding. Bidding was intense, and the tuna was ultimately jointly purchased by a local restaurant and a local company for NT$10,600 per kilogram — NT$300 ,more than last year — for a total of NT$2.014 million. The 67-year-old skipper
RSS