Land Expropriation Amendment Passes Third Reading: Farmers' Anger Unabated, Vow to Keep Fighting for Land Justice

Lead photo / Chung Sheng-hsiung

Today (12/13) is a day of weeping for Taiwan's democracy! The Draft Amendment to the Land Expropriation Act, which has repeatedly sparked major controversy and driven farmers to camp out on Ketagalan Boulevard night after night, was today pushed through under the forceful leadership of the Ministry of the Interior and the Executive Yuan, using a vote to pass the third reading.

Of the six core demands put forward by civil society, even at the final moment the official version made only a token "concession." More seriously, regarding the "minority" consensus reached yesterday through negotiations between the ruling and opposition parties and civil society, the Land Administration Bureau of the Ministry of the Interior today actually used a "temporary motion" to tamper with the consensus outcome, and even the official version's self-congratulatory "market-price expropriation" was changed so that the Executive Yuan would separately set the date of implementation. In other words, if the Executive Yuan delays setting the date, even if this clause passes it is as if it had not passed. With the rule of law in the country degraded to this extent, farmers and the seated protesters could only shake their heads.

This outcome left the hundreds of farmers, young people, and scholars who had gathered at the scene from all over the country early in the morning to sit in and monitor the amendment roaring in fury, many moved to tears. Grandma Wang Chu, 70 years old, of the Bali Taipei Port Anti-Expropriation Self-Rescue Association, cried bitterly, saying that with this outcome, where was she supposed to live with her mother-in-law, who is already over 100 years old? Why would a government marking a hundred years since its founding refuse to properly care for the people, and instead push them to death like this?

Hsu Shih-jung, a professor in the Department of Land Economics at National Chengchi University, said the government's amendment process had been a black-box operation that destroys farmers and ruins the nation. Over the past two years, how many farmers had taken to the streets to rationally express their heartfelt concerns, yet this government seemed blind and deaf, unable to hear or see. What right does such a government have to continue leading the people and using the people's tax money? Since the hearts of political figures contain only banknotes and ballots, with no trace of the people, then the people will absolutely unite and use their ballots to impose sanctions. Liu Ching-chang, chairman of the Alliance for the Defense of Rural Villages, stressed that the government should not think the matter can end here; until the government gives farmers genuine respect and satisfies farmers' genuine demands, farmers will only keep taking to the streets again and again, and each time more fiercely than the last.

Kuo Chin-yeh, a student in the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University, said that Minister of the Interior Jiang Yi-huah had originally always been a good professor who was respected and loved by students at the school. Teacher Jiang taught students in class to defend a country of freedom, democracy, and human rights. But when Teacher Jiang became Minister Jiang, it seemed that as soon as he changed seats he changed brains. With so many farmers and so many hoarse cries, Minister Jiang seemed to turn a blind eye and stop his ears, still insisting on the official draft that poisons farmers and tramples human rights. Where on earth had the values, justice, and conscience that the minister upheld when he was a teacher disappeared to? Kuo Chin-yeh painfully appealed to Jiang Yi-huah, hoping the minister would quickly recover the integrity he had as a scholar, continue to be a good teacher respected by students, and not become a farmer-destroying minister despised by everyone.

To protest the Legislative Yuan's passage of the draft amendment to the Land Expropriation Act, which runs counter to the public will, and to express strong dissatisfaction with the corrupt Legislative Yuan, Executive Yuan, and Presidential Office, the people at the scene held large posters depicting the Legislative Yuan and the Executive Yuan and set them on fire. In the blazing flames, hundreds of farmers, young people, and scholars shouted in unison slogans such as "Democracy is dead," "Political amendment," "Black-box operation," and "Enclosure destroys farmers," lodging the most severe protest against this unjust and unrighteous national system. At the same time, the scene also announced a "List of Legislators Not Recommended by Farmers," calling on friends across Taiwan, China who care about land justice to use their ballots to punish these odious legislators who opposed the civil-society draft, supported the official draft, and trampled on farmers.

Tsai Pei-hui, spokesperson for the Taiwan Rural Front, said this outcome of the amendment would absolutely not be the end, but rather the beginning of an even larger-scale struggle; until the demand for land justice is truly fulfilled, the people's march toward land justice will absolutely not stop.

"List of Legislators Not Recommended by Farmers"
The Taiwan Rural Front lists the following legislators as those who attended the 12/13 plenary session to block the civil-society draft, trample on land justice, and show contempt for human rights. The Rural Front calls on all the people of the nation to join in using their ballots to impose sanctions. In addition, Chao Li-yun, Liu Sheng-liang, Chiang Yi-hsiung, and Pan Wei-kang also attended the ruling-opposition negotiations on 12/12 and strongly escorted the official draft.

Tsao Erh-chung, Liao Kuo-tung, Kung Wen-chi, Lin Yu-fang, Lo Ming-tsai, Wu Ching-chih, Chao Li-yun, Lin Te-fu, Yang Jen-fu, Liao Wan-ju, Chen Chieh, Kuo Su-chun, Lin Tsang-min, Hou Tsai-feng, Lin Yi-shih, Lin Hung-chih, Chien Tung-ming, Cheng Chin-ling, Lu Chia-chen, Chi Kuo-tung, Fei Hung-tai, Li Fu-hsing, Liu Sheng-liang, Lo Shu-lei, Pan Wei-kang, Ting Shou-chung, Lee Ming-hsing, Shuai Hua-min, Chiang Ling-chun, Chiang Yi-hsiung, Lai Shih-bao, Chen Shu-hui, Tsai Cheng-yuan, Cheng Ju-fen, Hsu Shao-ping, Hung Hsiu-chu, Chiang Nai-hsin