Taiwan Church News
3409 Edition
June 26 – July 2, 2017
Headline News
Hundreds of Thousand Protest Asia Cement’s Mining Extension For Another 20 Years
Reported by Chiu Kuo-rong
At 3:00 p.m. on June 5, over ten thousand people rallied before the Executive Yuan protesting the outrageous 20 years’ extension of mining rights granted to Asia Cement by Ministry of Economic Affairs(MOEA). Holding the banners and placards, asking an immediate mining reform in Taiwan, the protesting crowd turned to gather at Boulevard Ketagaland before the Presidential Office under the burning sunlight over 37 degree Celsius.
In March, just one week before Legislative Yuan’s public annoucement to overhaul the notorious Mining Act, MOEA secretly approved a 20 years’ extension of mining rights to Asia Cement without any environmental review or consultation to local abriginal communities according to article 21 of The Indigenous Peoples Basic Law.
As MOEA insisted its approval granted to Asia Cement was absolutely legal, this excuse incurred a great furor within the Taiwan society. A petition on internet to scrape extension to Asia Cement started to circulate, and reached its climax over 210,000 signatures especially after a tragic helicopter crash of the famous documentary filmmaker director Chi Po-lin, who had shot Beyond Beauty: Taiwan From Above.
Accepting a interview at the protesting rally, Rev Lin Wei-lien, secretary of PCT Church and Society Committee, remarked:” Based on the spirit of PCT’s care and concern for God’s all creature, any improper development or ecological exploitation on this beautiful island, causing loss and damage to local aborigines, requires a serious review.” He also pointed out the government is responsible and powerful enough to stop the envioronmental abuses from those irresponsible financial conglomerates, and this is the reason why PCT stands out at this rally to urge the government to solve this problem!
Translated by Peter Wolfe
