In the aftermath of a disaster, people pick up the bill! Taitung County Government continues to serenade hotel developers!

On the 30th of March 2011, Taitung County Government and investors from MeiliWan Hotel arrived at Shanyuan coastal area and ordered local Citong indigenous people to clear the piles of driftwood they had gathered together there within one month. Taitung county employee, Hu Zong-ren expressed that if the local people were unable to clear the wood, then, as the driftwood infringed on a BOT contract, the county government would clear it, “picking up the tab” for the financial consortium –all of course using taxpayers money! Officials and those involved with Meiliwan seem to have a very short memory.

In the aftermath of Typhoon Morakot, local aboriginals wrote several letters asking for the relevant government department to take responsibility for clearing up the driftwood – only to continual echoes of, “no budget”. It was only in the year of the disaster that the Forestry Department finally begrudgingly amassed two piles of driftwood and expressed that local people were free to do with it as they pleased. In reality, it has been local indigenous people and volunteers who have dug into their own pockets and spent their own time painstakingly clearing the driftwood up, piling it high up on the beach.

In the aftermath of a disaster, people pick up the bill! Taitung County Government continues to serenade hotel developers! (by CJ farandaway)

URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/74745

(以下為中文對照)

天災善後由全民買單! 東縣府繼續護航美麗灣飯店(公民記者farandaway )

照片

三月底(2011/3/30)台東縣政府人員及美麗灣飯店業者到杉原海岸會勘，片面命令刺桐部落族人在一個月內清理完海邊堆置的漂流木，台東縣政府官員胡 宗仁還表示，若民眾無法清運，天災造成的漂流木屬於BOT合約規範以外的事項，由縣府買單替財團清理，用的是全民的納稅錢。公務員及美麗灣業者很健忘，在 莫拉克風災發生後，部落多次發文希望政府能負起責任清運漂流木，卻得到「沒有經費」及「已BOT給美麗灣」的回應，只有在風災當年年底林務局勉強集中兩 堆，並表示給民眾自行使用。其餘散落海岸的漂流木，實際上都是由部落族人及外地志工自掏腰包辛苦地堆置於高灘地。

為擴大服務範圍，自2010年4月起，PeoPo每周精選三則公民報導及相關活動與發展，翻譯成英文摘要，讓更多關心台灣公民新聞的朋友，瞭解台灣在地大小事。