An indigenous community in Hualien County voted overwhelmingly on Saturday to extend the mining rights of Asia Cement Corp in the county’s Sincheng Township (新城).
Those opposed to the plan said that legal procedures were not observed, and they would continue to fight against the company’s efforts to mine marble in the area.
The Bsngan community, which comprises six indigenous groups living near the mining site, said that the referendum followed proper procedures, showing that 294 households voted for the mining extension, with 45 households against.
Photo: Wang Chun-chi, Taipei Times
Voter turnout was also more than the required 50 percent threshold, with 374 of the 555 Bsngan households participating, said Chang Wen-sheng (張文盛), chairman of the Bsngan community group that negotiates with Asia Cement.
The vote to extend Asia Cement’s mining rights in Sincheng was held after the company entered into negotiations with indigenous residents and promised to share the benefits of the mining operations.
Asia Cement secured mining rights in Sincheng from the government in 1973, which were extended in 2017 for another 20 years.
However, the Supreme Administrative Court upheld a lower court ruling in September last year, revoking the company’s mining rights in a case that was brought by indigenous residents.
Asia Cement failed to abide by the Status Act for Indigenous Peoples (原住民身分法) by not consulting with indigenous residents in Sincheng, who make up one third of the township’s population, the court said.
After the ruling, Asia Cement began negotiations with the township’s indigenous residents, and the result of Saturday’s vote now allows the company to file a new application for the extension of its mining rights.
Those who voted against the measure said that Chang had misled the people into thinking that the vote was to approve promises made by the company, not an extension of its mining rights.
Asia Cement’s promises to indigenous residents include subsidies for electricity bills, employment assistance, monetary gifts for elders and shopping vouchers for the Lunar New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival holidays.
The Ministry of Economic Affairs expressed gratitude to the indigenous people of Sincheng for supporting the extension, which it said would advance the country’s economic development.
Saturday’s vote was a demonstration of a tribal autonomy, the ministry said.
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