Land expropriation for the Taoyuan Aerotropolis project’s peripheral areas should be put on hold until an environmental review of the core area is passed, advocates said yesterday, while blasting a government-sponsored survey of residents affected by the project for asking misleading questions.
“The idea behind the aerotropolis is that construction [of a third runway for the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport] will bring in more travelers, which will create jobs and lead to demand for new housing and the formation of new business districts,” Taoyuan Aerotropolis Anti-Eviction Alliance spokesman Tien Chi-feng (田奇?) said. “The ‘egg white’ [peripheral areas] land development portion of the project depends on the ‘yolk’ [core area consisting] of a new runway and free-trade district.”
The Environmental Protection Administration’s Environmental Impact Assessment Committee last month moved to conduct a review of construction of a new major highway that is to service the aerotropolis, raising the prospect of further delays.
The Taoyuan City Government is in the process of applying to the Ministry of the Interior for permission to begin land expropriation for the “egg white” portion of the project, which has drawn criticism from advocates, who said it is unnecessary and would compromise residents’ interests.
Advocates staged a protest outside Taoyuan City Hall yesterday, criticizing a city survey for asking leading questions.
They accused the city of inflating levels of support from residents in a bid to win land expropriation approval.
Tien said the survey asked residents a series of questions about whether they “knew” that residents would be eligible for land, building and resettlement compensation under city plans, before asking them whether they supported the land expropriation.
“While city plans do include these forms of compensation, what the survey does not say is that not everyone will be eligible — for example, many people’s homes are not legal and would be excluded, while small landowners’ plots would shrink under current land redistribution plans,” he said, adding that residents would be required to pay if they choose to settle in the newly built apartments.
“You might think you would be able to resettle, only to find out later that your home is illegal, or that you will not have enough money to build a new home,” he said.
He urged the city government to inform individual residents whether they would qualify for resettlement before having the project plan approved.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,912) for advertisements that exceed its approved business scope, requiring the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license may be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter enforcement of Chinese e-commerce platforms and measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan in response to US President Donald Trump’s heavy tariffs on China. The Legislative Yuan’s Finance Committee met today to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Kuo Kuo-wen (郭國文) said
The Ministry of Economic Affairs has fined Taobao NT$1.2 million (US$36,900) for advertisements that exceeded its approved business scope and ordered the Chinese e-commerce platform to make corrections in the first half of this year or its license would be revoked. Lawmakers have called for stricter supervision of Chinese e-commerce platforms and more stringent measures to prevent China from laundering its goods through Taiwan as US President Donald Trump’s administration cracks down on origin laundering. The legislature’s Finance Committee yesterday met to discuss policies to prevent China from dumping goods in Taiwan, inviting government agencies to report on the matter. Democratic Progressive Party
Taiwan and its Pacific ally Tuvalu on Tuesday signed two accords aimed at facilitating bilateral cooperation on labor affairs, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA). The governments inked two agreements in Taipei, witnessed by Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and visiting Deputy Tuvaluan Prime Minister Panapasi Nelesone, MOFA said in a news release. According to MOFA, the agreements will facilitate cooperation on labor issues and allow the two sides to mutually recognize seafarers’ certificates and related training. Taiwan would also continue to collaborate with Tuvalu across various fields to promote economic prosperity as well as the well-being of their
Sung Chien-liang (宋建樑), who led efforts to recall Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lee Kun-cheng (李坤城), was released on bail of NT$80,000 today amid outcry over his decision to wear a Nazi armband to questioning the night before. Sung arrived at the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning in a recall petition forgery case last night wearing a red armband bearing a swastika, carrying a copy of Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf and giving a Nazi salute. Sung left the building at 1:15am without the armband and covering the book with his coat. Lee said today that this is a serious