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Updated Friday, November 20, 2009 9:42 am TWN, The China Post news staff

Typhoon victims protest for 'going home'

KAOHSIUNG, Taiwan -- Over 300 indigenous residents in southern Kaohsiung County, whose houses were destroyed by floods and mudslides caused by the devastating Typhoon Morakot in early August, yesterday gathered on the square in front of the Kaohsiung County Government, calling for the county government to send them back to their villages. The protesters issued the request 100 days after Typhoon Morakot ravaged Taiwan on August 8 and 9, destroying bridges and roads connecting many indigenous villages in mountainous townships such as Taoyuan, Namaxia and Liugui, and ruining houses of indigenous villagers.

Most of the indigenous victims plagued by Typhoon Morakot have been accommodated in military barracks in Kaohsiung County, and the county government has planned to move them to the Yumei area of the Shanlin Township, where the Buddhist Compassion Relief Tzu Chi Foundation and the Red Cross Society are building permanent housing units to accommodate the indigenous victims.

But most victims yesterday shouted out their wish: “We want to go home!” “Don't use permanent housing units to cheat us away from our ancestral homeland!”

The protesting victims claimed that the government should follow the principle of “getting away from disasters but not from villages, and getting away from villages but not from townships.” Accordingly, they called on the government to build permanent houses in safer places within their original townships so that they can take care of their ancestral homeland.

They cast eggs toward the county government hall after learning that Kaohsiung County Magistrate Yang Chiu-hsing failed to show up to hear their voices.

Also yesterday, Minister Su Chun-bin of the Government Information Office said yesterday that the government is slated to complete the evaluation of the residential safety of 86 indigenous villages in southern Taiwan by the end of November.

Su continued that if the villages are proved safe for residence, then relevant villagers can move back to their homeland, but if not, villagers are advised to live in new permanent housing units built by the government and social welfare groups.

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	Over 300 indigenous victims of Typhoon Morakot gathered in front of the Kaohsiung County Government yesterday asking the government to send them to back to their tribal lands after living in military barracks for 100 days. (CNA) Enlarge Photo


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