Morakot victims brace for chilly winter amidst government cold shoulder treatment
Reported by Sam Lee
Written by Lydia Ma
Living in the midst of yet another cold front, Tsou Aborigines in Alishan who lost their homes during Typhoon Morakot and who currently live in prefabricated houses are not only feeling the chill in their bones but also the extreme humidity.
They are all waiting for the Ma administration to fulfill its promise of helping them move to safer grounds without leaving their ancestral lands altogether. But 18 months after Typhoon Morakot, permanent housing units promised by the government has yet to materialize.
More than 60 families from Leye, Lijia, Laiji reservations in Alishan Township have reported that room temperatures in prefabricated houses are too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter. Hence, they hope to move into permanent housing units promised them by the government as soon as possible.
Government housing plans for Tsou Aborigines had previously been unacceptable to them as they’d have led them too far from their ancestral homes. Subsequent efforts have moved at a snail’s pace, resulting in harsh living conditions now for Aborigines in Alishan Township.
According to Aborigines living in these prefabricated houses, the only way for them to keep warm this winter is to build a campfire outside. But many still shiver under their covers as they drift off to sleep inside.
To help them in their plight, the Red Cross has provided them with small electric heaters, but the heating power of these machines is no match against this year’s harsh winter.
PCT Morakot Reconstruction Center for Tsou Aborigines has been helping these residents secure property close to their ancestral homes and negotiating with government agencies to build permanent housing units once such a property can be secured.
