Ahead of Taiwan’s National Heritage Day this weekend, cultural preservation groups yesterday submitted a petition to the Executive Yuan stating four demands to improve mechanisms and guidance for cultural heritage affairs.
The groups said that local reviews of cultural heritage sites are failing and urged the central government to step in rather than citing “local autonomy issues,” or else major sites would become “ruins.”
The groups firstly called on the Cabinet to direct the Ministry of Culture (MOC) to complete substantive investigations and provide guidance on cultural heritage disputes nationwide, and to include the issues in discussions at the National Cultural Conference.
Photo: CNA
Moreover, their petition requested it implement the National Cultural Affairs Council and coordinate cross-agency discussions on major cultural heritage cases nationwide.
The groups also urged the MOC to create an official mechanism to handle cultural heritage disputes by amending relevant laws.
They further demanded it reform cultural heritage committees and establish regular local cultural development conferences to create a permanent and transparent mechanism for civic participation.
The groups told a news conference yesterday that multiple cultural heritage cases in Taiwan have become stalled in the review process.
They cited seven major sites, which included a development project at the Taiwan Sugar Museum in Kaohsiung’s Ciaotou District (橋頭), the Nanshan Public Cemetery in Tainan, a stone housing complex near New Taipei City’s Magang (馬崗) and the former residence of Tsai Chin-mu (蔡金木) near Liugong Canal (瑠公圳) in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店).
Also mentioned were the former residence of Huang Lai-wang (黃來旺) in Taichung’s Waipu District (外埔), Fuhai Temple (福海宮) in Taoyuan’s Jhuwei Borough (竹圍) and the National Taiwan University dormitory complex on Taipei’s Wenzhou Street.
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