Kaohsiung New Town Phase 3 Land Expropriation Meeting on the 24th, Environmental Groups Urge Exclusion of Taiwan Sugar Green Spaces

(Central News Agency, reporter Chen Chun-hua, Taipei, June 22) The third phase development plan for Kaohsiung New Town has sparked controversy over the preservation of the Qiaotou Sugar Factory forest. The Ministry of the Interior will hold a review meeting on land expropriation for public interest and necessity on the 24th. Environmental groups stated today that the publicly owned forest green spaces should be rezoned as parkland and should not be included in the planned development area expropriation.

Pan Han-chiang, Secretary-General of the Taiwan Tree People Association, Chuang Chieh-jen, Chairman of the Forest City Association, and Tsai Ya-ying, full-time lawyer for the Taiwan Wild at Heart Ecological Association, held a press conference at the Legislative Yuan this morning.

Chuang Chieh-jen stated that the Ministry of the Interior is scheduled to hold the "Review Meeting on the Public Interest and Necessity of Land Expropriation for Kaohsiung New Town Phase 3" on the 24th. Of this, 102 hectares are Taiwan Sugar Corporation land, which, if successfully rezoned as building land, could yield profits exceeding NT$50 billion. Taiwan Sugar Corporation independent director Chang Kuei-feng, acting as both player and referee, did not recuse himself from the review subcommittee meeting and presided over it.

Chuang Chieh-jen said that the Ministry of the Interior issued a press release on May 27th stating that this case required recusal, but the meeting held on May 22nd did not involve recusal. Yet, the conclusions from this subcommittee meeting are still being submitted to the Ministry of the Interior's main meeting for review. If the meeting is indeed approved, it will solidify charges of illicit enrichment. He advocates for the meeting to be invalidated and not approved.

Chuang Chieh-jen stated that today, a total of 8 official documents, titled "Public Warning Letter on Illicit Enrichment," will be sent to the Ministry of the Interior, the National Land Management Agency, the Agency Against Corruption, the Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Justice, and the Chairman of Taiwan Sugar Corporation. The aim is to preserve Taiwan Sugar Corporation's land as park green space and prevent it from being rezoned as building land for land speculation without public interest or necessity.

Tsai Ya-ying stated that the initial population projection for Kaohsiung New Town was 240,000 people, which was significantly lowered to 170,000 in November 2021. The population target for Phase 1 development area was 54,000 people, but only about 8,000 have actually moved in. Furthermore, Kaohsiung City has over 130,000 vacant housing units, and the area surrounding Phase 3 development has nearly 18,000 vacant units. The government's plan to build housing through planned area expropriation far exceeds actual demand, clearly lacking necessity. (Editor: Hsieh Chia-chen) 1150622

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