In the Dapu farmland destruction case, the promise to preserve the original house fell through; farmers urge Wu Den-yih to come forward and respond.
Editor's note: On June 9, 1999, the image of the Miaoli County government sending in excavators to wantonly destroy fields, crudely mowing down rice stalks that were about to ripen, is still vivid before our eyes, and amid the angry cries of farmers nationwide, the voices of former Premier Wu Den-yih and Miaoli County Magistrate Liu Cheng-hung apologizing together at a press conference on July 22 of the same year still ring in our ears; on August 17 of the same year, to show sincerity in resolving the Dapu dispute, former Premier Wu Den-yih issued a policy directive that "the building sites of Dapu Self-Rescue Association members should be preserved in their original locations." Unexpectedly, on this day two years after the incident occurred, the government has entirely overturned the resolution. Below is a news statement issued by the Taiwan Rural Front.
Government failure, devastation of lives: Dapu original houses preservation promise broken, Wu Den-yih come out and explain
Text/Taiwan Rural Front
The Dapu field-destruction and farmer-annihilation case, delayed for many years and still not satisfactorily resolved, once again staged an absurd drama at the 784th meeting of the Urban Planning Commission convened by the Ministry of the Interior on July 24, 2012. Chairman Chien Tai-lang not only misled all members of the Urban Planning Commission with clearly erroneous information, but even when members raised objections and doubts, he arbitrarily, without a vote, high-handedly reached a conclusion on the spot, openly violating the policy directive made by former Premier Wu Den-yih, maintaining the decision to demolish the houses of Dapu Self-Rescue Association members Peng Hsiu-chun (Chang's Pharmacy), Chu Shu, and Ko Cheng-fu, and not to preserve the land of Huang Fu-chi in its original location, clearly paying no regard whatsoever to the legally mandated collegial Urban Planning Commission.
In response, both the Miaoli Dapu Self-Rescue Association and the Taiwan Rural Front angrily stated that they cannot accept such a promise-breaking act, and that if the government does not pull back from the brink and insists on going its own way, they do not rule out launching another large-scale protest.
Government dictatorship, chairman ruling with one hand covering the sky
Attorney Li Ming-chih, who accompanied the Self-Rescue Association to the Urban Planning Commission meeting that day, said angrily that at the 784th meeting of the Urban Planning Commission, officials repeatedly lied to the commission members with erroneous information that had never been supported by relevant evidence in the past 2 years, claiming that Peng Hsiu-chun's building had caused multiple car accidents and would affect traffic safety, while Chairman Chien Tai-lang deliberately misled all members of the Urban Planning Commission, falsely claiming that the Self-Rescue Association's appointed attorney Chan Shun-kuei had agreed to the March 27, 2012 consultation conclusion, and that the Dapu dispute had therefore been satisfactorily resolved; moreover, when member Yang Chung-hsin questioned that the handling of the aforementioned four Dapu households violated former Premier Wu Den-yih's policy directive and that this case should be preserved and the demands of the Dapu Self-Rescue Association discussed again, Chairman Chien Tai-lang arrogantly omitted even a vote and directly reached the conclusion to demolish the houses of Peng Hsiu-chun, Chu Shu, and Ko Cheng-fu and not to preserve the land of Huang Fu-chi in its original location, completely trampling on the functions of the Urban Planning Commission's expert meetings. Such arbitrariness, as if one were in a dark dictatorial country, truly leaves one not knowing what era this is.
Self-Rescue Association members who attended the meeting further pointed out that after learning of Chairman Chien Tai-lang's outrageous actions, the Self-Rescue Association attempted to enter the deliberation venue to demand clarification of the chairman's and attending officials' nonsense, but were driven out of the venue by Chien Tai-lang. Self-Rescue Association members said sorrowfully, does this government not even give the people whose homes are about to be uprooted a chance to speak the truth? They want to demolish houses and force relocation, yet use erroneous information as a reason; is such carelessness not evidence that we are a totalitarian state? Is the "clean and capable government" President Ma Ying-jeou spoke of nothing but a lie to fool children?
Officials feign compliance while acting contrary, policy contradicts itself
Professor Hsu Shih-jung of the Department of Land Economics at National Chengchi University said that on June 9, 1999, the image of the Miaoli County government sending in excavators to wantonly destroy fields and crudely mow down rice stalks that were about to ripen is still vivid before our eyes, and amid the angry cries of farmers nationwide, the voices of former Premier Wu Den-yih and Miaoli County Magistrate Liu Cheng-hung apologizing together at a press conference on July 22 of the same year still ring in our ears; on August 17 of the same year, to show sincerity in resolving the Dapu dispute, former Premier Wu Den-yih issued a policy directive that "the building sites of Dapu Self-Rescue Association members should be preserved in their original locations." Unexpectedly, on this day two years after the incident occurred, the Dapu dispute is still dragging on like a bad play because of the government's contradictions and obstinacy, and a fixed policy of the highest administrative organ can be arbitrarily overturned by a lower-level official, clearly showing that this government is habitually deceitful, muddles along, and treats the constitutional requirement to protect the people's rights as nothing.
Yeh Hsiu-tao, spokesperson for the Miaoli Dapu Self-Rescue Association, said that over these 2 years, the Self-Rescue Association and civil groups had repeatedly called on the Miaoli County government and the Ministry of the Interior to face former Premier Wu Den-yih's directive as early as possible, and had also repeatedly provided the government with methods and opinions for preserving the Self-Rescue Association members' houses and land, but the government turned a deaf ear to all of it and went its own way, even arbitrarily producing on March 27, 2012 a consultation conclusion that the houses of Peng Hsiu-chun, Chu Shu, and Ko Cheng-fu would be demolished in the future and the land of Huang Fu-chi would not be preserved in its original location, causing the Self-Rescue Association's appointed attorney Chan Shun-kuei to leave the meeting in anger that day; yet the government not only did not reflect on improvement, but on July 24 again attempted to push this conclusion, which no one endorsed, through the Ministry of the Interior's Urban Planning Commission.
Yeh Hsiu-tao harshly criticized that the original houses preservation repeatedly promised by the premier, the highest administrative chief, was openly violated and recklessly handled by a subordinate agency, showing that there are already serious problems in the operation of our government. Former Premier Wu Den-yih, who made solemn promises at the time, and the current Executive Yuan team should come forward publicly to explain and fulfill the promise within a set deadline, otherwise they are fooling the people and trampling on the people.
Earnestly implement the promise, stop torturing the people
According to Article 44, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 4 of the Land Expropriation Act, whether houses and land are preserved in their original locations should in principle be approved specifically by the Executive Yuan, and this case should also be handled accordingly. The Miaoli Dapu Self-Rescue Association and the Taiwan Rural Front sternly called on the Executive Yuan to quickly shoulder its due responsibility, earnestly fulfill a promise that has not yet expired, implement the repeatedly publicly declared "original houses preservation" policy, and not allow officials like Political Deputy Minister of the Interior and Urban Planning Commission Chairman Chien Tai-lang to cover the sky with one hand and toy with the reasonable expectations of Dapu Self-Rescue Association members, otherwise the will of farmers nationwide will once again return to Ketagalan Boulevard and issue the deepest roar at the government.
Preserve Dapu in its original location, government promise broken (Taiwan Lihpao)