Taiwan Church News
3403 Edition
15 – 21 May, 2017
Topical News
A Reckless Mining Act Urged To Be Overhauled
Reported by Simon Lin
On May 10, environmental groups rallied before the Ministry of Economic Affairs(MOEA), protesting a reckless 20 years’ extension of mining rights granted to Asia Cement and asking an immediate amendment of Mining Act to protect the aboriginal land owners, inhabitants and the ecological environment from further damage and exploit.
Though the congress’ Economics Committee had made an resolution on March 14 that no mining rights extension could be approved before an amendment of Mining Act to be passed later, the people’s furor was ignited after learning MOEA had already silently granted a 20 years’ extension of mining rights to Asia Cement Corp in a quite dubious and swift review on March 14.
The MOEA’s irresponsible agreement to grant another 20 years of extension rights to Asia Cement means the New-Town-Mountain mining field at Hualien County could be kept being chopped off until 2037, without any
environmental review, notice, consent or investigation. In addition, this agreement also means to allow Asia Cement to keep using dynamites to blow up a geological sensitive site which is just 300 meters away from an aboriginal tribe.
Mr Zeng Wen-chuan, a Taroko aborigine from Chon-fu-shih tribe at Hsiu-ling Township of Hualien County, furiously charged that their Taroko aboriginal reserve had been illegally occupied by Asia Cement since 1973. This public robbery of aborigines’ land, implicitly allowed by the government, forced the whole Ayu tribe to relocate from the uplands of New Town Mountain to its current foothill, Mr Zeng bitterly accused, adding that this is a 44 years of exodus on his own land.
Mr Zeng complained that, although the land rights of aboriginal reserve had been restored back to her mother in 2015, Asia Cement could still legally occupy that Taroko aboriginal reserve at New Town Mountain and inhibit anybody’s entrance without their permission under article 47 of current Mining Act, which stipulates the mining owner could utilize or develop the specific land, even there is no agreement achieved between the concerned parties, only if the land’s price, rent or compensations could be deposited in the bank.
Mr Tu Yo-wen, chief executive officer of Environmental Rights Foundation, remarked that if article 47 of Mining Act is still kept intact, and article 21 of Indigenous Peoples Act on consulting and participation would never be put into effects, all beautiful rhetoric on transitional justice promised by Tsai administration would turn out as empty words!
Mr Yi Jun-hong, member of central executive committee of Taiwan Green Party, showed a petition letter, signed by about 100 foreign politicians across 30 countries, asking Taiwan government to abolish the bizarre 20 years’ extension of mining rights granted to Asia Cement Corp, during his recent participation in an assembly of Global Greens Congress 2017 at Liverpool, UK.
Those signed-up green politicians, after learning Taiwan government’s daring approval of Asia Cement Corp’s extension request, all felt unbelievable such kind of economic development, allowing no environmental review, notice, consent or investigation, could exists in Taiwan boasting a democratic progressive country, Mr Liu said.
Translated by Peter Wolfe
