Dozens of farmers from Hsinchu County’s Jhubei Township (竹北) yesterday rallied in front of the Council of Agriculture in Taipei, urging the council to reject the planned Taiwan Knowledge-Based Economy Park (臺灣知識經濟旗艦園區), as it would deprive them of their farmland.
Previously named the Puyu (璞玉) Development Project, the renamed economy park project was approved by the Ministry of the Interior in 2009 and would cover an area of about 447 hectares — nearly 400 hectares of which will be acquired through expropriation.
The self-help association consisting of residents that are facing possible loss of their lands said that based on the council’s data, more than 80 percent of the land that would be expropriated is in a special agricultural district, and good quality farmland should be protected.
Photo: CNA
The farmers held a hand-written banner that read: “Robbing the people of their land. Being oppressed by government officials, the public is forced to revolt against them.”
They questioned the project’s necessity and asked the council to reject the project, saying it would not benefit public interests.
They said that under the plan, 33 hectares of the expropriated land would become a part of National Chiao Tung University, but the Ministry of Education had announced in 2011 that it was postponing development due to financial problems.
In addition, they said that the amended Land Expropriation Act (土地徵收條例) stipulates that state construction projects must gain the Cabinet’s approval to expropriate lands in special agricultural districts, but the review process for the project has been made only at the local government level.
“The farmlands in the area are all of good quality, without pollution. If the council is not the voice of the farmers, shouldn’t it be dissolved?” association chairman Chiu Hung-chun (邱鴻鈞) asked.
“We don’t want our lands to be confiscated. We cannot endure having land that has been passed down from our ancestors sold for no reason,” association vice chairman Chen Yi-hsu (陳義旭) said.
With his farmland now facing potential expropriation for a second time, Tien Shou-shi (田守喜), whose rice crop just won the silver medal for quality last year, said the council should be responsible for protecting good farmlands.
While the council says it wants to improve the nation’s food self-sufficiency rate, it is not willing to stand on the farmers’ side and help them protect their land, Tien added.
In response, Chuang Yu-wen (莊玉雯) of the council’s planning department, said that the council would convey the farmers’ opinions to the review committee in future meetings.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS