Despite shouting, cursing, tears and physical clashes, the Taipei County Government demolished 11 homes in the Sanying Aboriginal Community (三鶯部落) yesterday and vowed to remove the rest by the end of the month.
"Where am I going to sleep tonight? Where am I going to sleep tonight?" the elderly Pan Chin-hua (潘金花) shouted as she burst into tears and sat on a stool in front of her house made of old wooden boards and canvas, like most of the other homes in the community.
She was quickly and forcefully removed by police officers before a hydraulic shovel moved in and demolished her house in five minutes. Similar scenes occurred during the two-hour demolition.
"We are here to enforce the policy of demolishing buildings built without permits in a flood area," a county Water Resources Bureau official surnamed Chang (張) told reporters.
The Sanying Community, located on the east bank of Dahan River (大漢溪) close to the Sanying Bridge that connects Sansia (三峽) and Yingge (鶯歌) townships, consisted of an estimated 30 households, mostly Amis Aborigines.
Amis men, who moved to Taipei to work as coalminers and construction workers and could not afford housing, began building their own houses on the site in around 1980, community chief Lien Ta-ching (連大經) said.
The Taipei County Government conducted a census of the community in 2002, then built apartments nearby and asked the Sanying residents to move there, Yang Cheng-pin (楊正斌), chief secretary of county's Indigenous Peoples Bureau, said by telephone.
Some residents have moved, but many have not, including those who did not qualify for the relocation project because they were not living in the community at the time of the census, or who cannot pay the rent.
On Feb. 14, the county government posted a notice telling residents they had three days to move. On Monday, 15 vacant homes were demolished and the remaining residents were asked to sign an agreement promising to tear down their houses and leave by the end of the month.
"All houses with occupants who refused to sign the agreement will be torn down today, while for those who signed the agreement, nothing will happen until the end of the month," Chang said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
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,
SIX SUBSIDIES: The monthly allowance for older farmers is to increase to NT$10,000, and NT$5,000 is to be given to homemakers under the national pension system, Lai said The government is to implement major welfare policies for disadvantaged groups, including raising the monthly allowance for older farmers to NT$10,000 and providing homemakers with NT$5,000 per month, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday. Lai made the remarks during a visit to Wangling Temple in Chiayi County, saying that the planned increases were being introduced amid economic growth and an increase in tax revenue. Touting a policy, in which the government plans to provide a monthly allowance of NT$5,000 for every child under the age of 18 in a bid to address Taiwan’s low birthrate, Lai said that if received for the
RSS