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Longsheng Village Residents of Miaoli Defy Gangster and Lawsuit Threats, Protest Kunyu Landfill Destroying Their Home

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Neither Gangsters nor Lawsuits Make Them Back Down! Longsheng Village Residents of Miaoli Protest as Kunyu Waste Landfill Destroys Their Home

By Yang Yuyun, staff reporter for Newsmarket, and Li Minkai, intern reporter

Kunyu Company has forcibly set up a waste landfill in Longsheng Village, Miaoli, threatening the water supply for 500 hectares of surrounding farmland. Residents have camped out overnight for several consecutive days to guard the land and prevent waste from being brought in, and they have protested that the Miaoli County Government is letting it slide in disregard of residents' rights. Today (the 25th), nearly 100 villagers and several Miaoli county councilors gathered to travel north, submitting petitions at the Environmental Protection Administration, the Council of Agriculture, and the Executive Yuan respectively. The self-rescue association also put forward five major demands, calling on central government agencies to respond.

Lin Congmin, chairperson of the Longsheng Community Development Association, said that the two visits to the Environmental Protection Administration could not have been more different. Last time, the community came to receive an award for winning the bronze prize in the Low-Carbon Sustainable Homeland program; this time, they came to protest waste polluting their homeland. He called on the competent authorities to protect Longsheng villagers' property rights, right to work, and right to survival.

The Self-Rescue Association Against the Kunyu Industrial Waste Landfill brought a large stack of community awards to petition at the Executive Yuan. (Photo / Li Minkai)

Waste Landfill Rises from the Ashes; Villagers Defy Threats to Fight Pollution

The Kunyu waste landfill was a development project from 20 years ago. Because the site is only 300 m from the irrigation reserve pond of Mingde Reservoir, it could affect 500 hectares of nearby farmland. In addition, Kunyu initially developed 1.9 hectares to evade the regulation requiring an environmental impact assessment for 2 hectares, refused to communicate with Longsheng villagers, and even allowed gangsters to intimidate and threaten them. These egregious actions led two successive Miaoli county magistrates to reject it a total of 4 times, and the license was ultimately revoked, leaving the Kunyu case dead in the water.

However, at the end of last year, Kunyu restarted the development project, and its trial operation plan was sent to the county government. Within just ten days, County Magistrate Hsu Yao-chang approved it at lightning speed, causing an uproar among the public. Longsheng villagers formed a self-rescue association and, starting January 5, set up camp and cooked meals in front of the Kunyu site, taking 24-hour shifts to block waste from entering the landfill.

According to the official document approved by the county government, the 8,223 metric tons of waste Kunyu plans to bury include scrap metal, furnace slag, and other suspected toxic substances, and the landfill has no protective facilities at all, with only a simple waterproof tarp laid at the bottom. The villagers' concerns are by no means unfounded. Chen Qingxin, chairperson of the self-rescue association, remarked sarcastically that although Kunyu's burial plan and facilities have not changed in 20 years, its methods of threatening villagers have kept up with the times. "In the past they used gangsters to threaten us; now they use lawsuits, suing villagers for obstruction and illegal occupation. But such tactics will only make us villagers more united. We will never yield to such despicable methods."

Chen Qingxin, chairperson of the Self-Rescue Association Against the Kunyu Industrial Waste Landfill, said that in the face of the unscrupulous company and the county government, the villagers will never back down. (Photo_Li Minkai)

Villagers Accuse "Collusion Between Officials and Business"; Miaoli County Government Responds Coldly

The self-rescue association rented two tour buses to carry villagers "north to petition the emperor." Before departure, they first protested at the Miaoli County Government, questioning whether the county government was profiting the company by agreeing to the trial operation. Legislators from both the blue and green camps also voiced support for the villagers, pointing out that unless instructed by senior county government officials, the Environmental Protection Bureau would not dare approve it at will.

The Miaoli County Government had Shen Fengtai, deputy director-general of the Environmental Protection Bureau, appear to accept the petition. He pointed out that Kunyu has currently only obtained trial operation qualification, and the entire case is still in the application process. He also stressed that the Environmental Protection Bureau's relevant actions are all legally grounded, but that they would also take the opinions of local residents into consideration for subsequent review. As for the self-rescue association's demand that the Environmental Protection Bureau reply within one week on whether Kunyu's trial operation permit can be revoked so residents can have peace of mind during the Lunar New Year, Shen Fengtai responded only with "administration according to law."

Two Generations Fight Pollution; No Way to Have a Good New Year This Year

The self-rescue association then headed north, going to the front gates of the Environmental Protection Administration, the Council of Agriculture, and the Executive Yuan respectively, to make government officials hear the cries of Longsheng Community villagers!

Chen Qingxin, chairperson of the self-rescue association, spoke first. Emotionally, he mentioned that his father had been the chairperson of the self-rescue association 20 years ago, and after his father passed away, he took up the heavy burden. He lamented bitterly that Kunyu had tormented the villagers for 20 years, and this year had made it impossible for everyone to have a good New Year. However, the united villagers would certainly resist with all their strength, and he hoped central government agencies would investigate and intervene to give the villagers justice.

Chen Wu Manyu, village chief of Longsheng Village, said that years ago the restaurant run by her family was broken into and set on fire by men in black, and she still feels the lingering fear today. But as village chief, she must speak for the people. She said she does not know much, but she is very clear that an industrial waste landfill will pollute the village and the good farmland. She begged government officials to show compassion for the villagers' hard work in holding the line and protesting, and to stop Kunyu's trial operation as soon as possible so the villagers could have a good New Year.

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