The Control Yuan’s Human Rights Committee 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, the committee 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
Control Yuan member Tian Chiu-chin (田秋堇) said the committee’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 committee is basing its definition of “habitability” on that of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
Starting next month until June, the committee 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 committee’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, Control Yuan member 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.
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