With the Taipei County Government's deadline for the eviction of leprosy patients from Lo Sheng Sanatorium approaching, a group of sanatorium residents yesterday appealed to Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to speed up the passage of a bill which they hope can help save their home.
The county government issued an ultimatum early this month saying that it would resort to forcible eviction if residents fail to move out by April 16.
The Sinjhuang compound is to be demolished make way for construction of a Mass Rapid Transit depot.
Although a series of protests calling for the preservation of the sanatorium have been staged recently, the government seems reluctant to change its initial plan.
And although Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said recently he would find an acceptable solution to the dispute, he didn't guarantee the sanitorium would be saved, said Chan Ming-chou (詹銘洲), a member of the Hansen's Patients Human Rights Violation Investigation Committee.
"The Taipei County government still has no intention of revoking its demolition plan. We therefore called on the speaker to help us save the sanatorium and safeguard the residents' human rights through legislative measures," he added.
Several lawmakers across party lines last week reached consensus on a bill designed to compensate leprosy patients mistreated by the government, preserve the sanatorium and defend patients' right to live in the area.
"Although we made a little progress with the bill, it's still not enough to preserve the Lo Sheng Sanatorium," said Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator Lai Shin-yuan (賴幸媛).
"On the one hand, the bill has to clear the legislature by April 13, but some lawmakers have said they will oppose it," she added.
Lai said the initial consensus on the bill was reached because lawmakers that support the demolition were absent, adding she was concerned an agreement would prove elusive during the next round of negotiations.
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