Chiayi Farmland Illegally Backfilled with Construction Waste; 3 Suspects Apprehended and Charged

(Central News Agency, Chiayi County, July 7) - The Chiayi County Government recently received a citizen complaint alleging that a piece of farmland in Minxiong Township was illegally dumped with and backfilled with waste. The Environmental Protection Bureau, in conjunction with the Investigation Bureau of the National Police Agency and the Chiayi District Prosecutors Office, launched a cross-agency collaborative enforcement operation, apprehending 3 suspects involved and sending them for prosecution.

The Chiayi County Government stated in a press release today that landowner Xu and suspects Liu and Huang signed a private contract in November 2024. Xu, in exchange for NT$1.2 million, provided farmland under his ownership for the illegal backfilling of construction waste. Suspect Huang began dumping waste materials such as waste bricks and concrete from early December of the same year, with over 180 truckloads.

The county government pointed out that under the direction of prosecutors from the Chiayi District Prosecutors Office, an excavation was conducted at the site with a search warrant. It was confirmed that the buried area spanned 207 square meters and had a volume of 1246 cubic meters. Suspect Huang was also found to be illegally stacking and screening waste in Zhongpu Township.

The county government announced that prosecutors indicted the three suspects, Xu, Liu, and Huang, on May 15 for violating the Waste Disposal Act. The three face imprisonment of 1 to 5 years and may be fined up to NT$15 million. The perpetrators and the landowner will be legally ordered to complete the cleanup of the waste at the site.

The Chiayi County Environmental Protection Bureau stated that farmland is the foundation of Chiayi County's granary and will not tolerate illegal elements burying construction waste in fertile land and destroying the ecosystem for personal gain. If citizens discover suspicious large trucks frequently entering or exiting farmland or vacant lots in their vicinity, or suspect the backfilling of unknown soil, please immediately call the Environmental Protection Administration's national pollution complaint hotline at 0800-066666, or the Environmental Protection Bureau's complaint hotline at 05-3620808 to report. (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150707

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