Shaken Hongye Tribe 01"Geothermal drilling disruption sparks controversy among villagers; county government says private land needs no tribal consent, environmental groups criticize vague regulations

Another renewable energy controversy: Swedish company Baseload Power came to Hongye Village in Wanrong Township, Hualien, to drill for geothermal energy. The low-frequency noise and vibration from 24-hour drilling severely affect residents' daily lives, and the failure to obtain tribal consent has triggered backlash.

Hongye Village residents held a tribal meeting to demand a work stoppage, but unexpectedly the county government argued that this case is a private land development, and the tribe has no right to refuse. Angry tribal members hung banners all over the village, organized a geothermal opposition self-rescue association, and held a tribal march on October 3, demanding "implement tribal self-governance, and the geothermal developer must immediately withdraw from the tribe."

Legal scholars believe the Council of Indigenous Peoples' interpretation of the law is erroneous: excluding private land development from the "indigenous land development requires tribal consent" requirement is the biggest source of this controversy. Environmental groups believe that underground geothermal resources should belong to public resources, and must never be defined as private resources based on the drilling location and left to private development. They call for this case to respect "tribal consultation and consent rights" and return development rights to shared tribal governance.

Low-frequency noise from drilling disrupts residents, who have nowhere to hide and are going crazy

There are two Hongye tribes in Taiwan, China. One is in Yanping Township, Taitung County, and is the birthplace of youth baseball. The other is in Wanrong Township, Hualien. This Hongye tribe was formerly called "Yuefunan," bordering the Central Mountain Range to the west and adjacent to the Ruisui hot spring settlement to the east. It was originally a quiet village. Starting in June this year, villagers noticed many trucks carrying large machinery beginning to move into the tribe. Heavy vehicles violated regulations by driving on tribal roads at night, and the midnight noise was deafening, triggering residents' discussion and dissatisfaction. The township mayor and village chief living in the tribe had no choice but to intervene and coordinate.

After coordination between the company and tribal cadres, both sides agreed to hold a tribal meeting on July 11, with Baseload Power giving an explanation. Because the venue was hot and cramped, many villagers left immediately after signing in. With fewer than 30 villagers in agreement, the company nonetheless led the meeting to conclude that the tribe agreed to the development, and based on this sign-in book claimed it had obtained tribal consent.

The company later explained that, according to county government instructions, this case is a private land drilling operation, requires no tribal consent, and only requires holding an "information session." Therefore, the developer had fulfilled its maximum notification obligation.

Starting July 14, the company proceeded with 24-hour well drilling and excavation. At night, the low-frequency vibration and noise severely affected the tribe's daily routines, causing anxiety and insomnia among residents, who suffered immensely. Only then did villagers realize how serious the problem was. They reported it to the Environmental Protection Bureau, but unexpectedly the company continued day-and-night construction even after being fined, thoroughly enraging the villagers.

On August 22, the day of the tribe's thanksgiving festival, the geothermal company sponsored the event and attended. Tribal resident Peng Chang-fu was the first to raise a white banner protesting the construction, and the angry sentiment quickly spread throughout the entire tribe.

Has the tribal meeting become a rubber stamp for the developer?

On September 2, villagers went to the county government to petition. County government personnel said that the Hongye tribe geothermal drilling application began on May 18, the township office knew about it from beginning to end, and the company had already notified the township office in writing when it conducted a site survey on June 15. Learning that the township office did not attend the drilling site survey, the passive actions of elected chiefs and elected representatives pushed dissatisfaction within the tribe to boiling point.

Under strong demands from the opposition, on September 5 the Hongye tribe held a second tribal meeting to discuss the geothermal case. Baseload Power and contractor Chijiajiu Company attended again. Because villagers were furious that the company had arbitrarily made a "tribal consent to drilling" resolution at the previous tribal meeting, they demanded on the spot that the company leave, and the entire meeting turned into a declaration assembly opposing geothermal development.

Villagers successively hung banners such as "Geothermal consortium get out of Hongye" and "Baseload Power get out of our homeland" to protest the construction. The opposition camp began a petition and gathered to form a self-rescue association, electing Peng Chang-fu as its chair, and launched self-help efforts. Through networking and mobilization, on October 3 they called on tribal members for a major march demanding a stop to geothermal development.

Supporters: Hongye Village has been stagnant too long; if we miss this chance, when will the next one come?

However, in the eyes of those in the tribe who support geothermal development, the opposition's actions are not only passive and unenterprising, but also the chief culprit behind the tribe's stagnant development. After the developer moved in, some small shops or restaurants could also do a little business, which is a great help to the tribal economy.

"Hongye Village has been stagnant too long; if we miss this chance, when will the next one come?" said Wen Chih-sheng, who originally opposed geothermal development but later joined the geothermal company to assist with drilling and thus shifted to support. "I used to oppose it too. Now that I have had the chance to enter the project and understand it up close on site, I also support geothermal development."

"Those people only know how to oppose. They oppose for the sake of opposing all day long, and have never been able to propose what Hongye Village's vision is." Young people in the support camp believe that most opponents are people in the tribe who do not want to improve, and that anyone who wants a better life would hope the tribe develops.

Supporters cite the vision presented in Baseload Power's briefing: "Developing geothermal energy can build a geothermal demonstration park, bring tourism, hire local people to increase job opportunities. Those doing small business can sell vegetables by the roadside, those doing business can sell boxed meals, and betel nut sellers can also earn a little money."