Petition to revoke Asia Cement's mining extension: Indigenous people say "they cut off your legs, then sell you a wheelchair," satirizing collusion between politics and business
In March of this year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, ignoring that the Mining Act was about to be amended, swiftly approved the extension of Asia Cement's mining rights, sparking protests from legislators, Indigenous people and environmental groups. But to this day, that extension has still not been revoked. Environmental groups and the Truku Fushi tribe protested in front of the Executive Yuan again this morning. Residents who have lived next to the mine for generations pointed out directly that the government's move persecutes tribal members, forcing them to wander on their own land, while also handing benefits to the conglomerate and then using "job opportunities" as a bargaining chip to hold them hostage. It is completely "they cut off your legs, then sell you a wheelchair." Therefore, accompanied by a volunteer lawyers' team, they filed an administrative appeal with the Executive Yuan, strongly demanding that the government revoke Asia Cement's 20-year extension permit as soon as possible.
Pastor Dai Chiu-kuei, who comes from the Fushi tribe, pointed out that when Asia Cement began mining in 1973, it occupied tribal land through deception and forged consent forms for the abandonment of rights, forcing the 50 households originally living on the plateau to move to the foot of the mountain and lose the farmland and hunting grounds they depended on for survival. More than 30 years later, with the help of civil society groups, the remaining landowners finally got back their land ownership certificates, yet they still face the miserable situation of being "unable to enter their own land," and the Ministry of Economic Affairs even allowed Asia Cement to continue mining for another 20 years. In response, Dai Chiu-kuei stressed, "Compared with what Tsai Ing-wen said about transitional justice, the government now is completely reneging on its promises."
