Are Mazu’s Meadows the property of Mazu Temple?

The original group of people, who in the Qing Dynasty came to cultivate the land once known as ‘Mazu’s Meadows’ in the mountain area of Zutian Village, New Taipei, Tucheng District, has never left this piece of land. After liberation from Japanese rule in 1945, by government decree, then keeper of Ciyou Temple, Lin Shi-nan, assumed control over the area. In 1956, Taiwan’s director-general declared that all 300 hectares of ‘Mazu’s Meadows’ were part of Ciyou Temple’s property, which in the undemocratic period following liberation from Japanese rule meant that in one fell swoop the ownership right’s of original settlers of the area were taken away.

Up to this day, local residents of the area have been continually bombarded with threatening lawsuits that state “Illegal Occupation, Tear Down the House and Return the Land”. If these poor villagers wish to take legal action they must pay all legal expenses not to mention hand over a hefty legal deposit - three times that of Ciyou Temple. The vast majority of these villagers simply do not have the financial means to bear such a costly judicial process and consequently have been left no option but to begrudgingly agree to lease the land from Ciyou Temple. These poor villagers have literally been beaten in to silence through continual year-round legal lawsuit assaults.

Are Mazu’s Meadows the property of Mazu Temple?（by CJ dino.utopia)

URL: http://www.peopo.org/news/77338

(以下為中文對照)

媽祖田，媽祖的田？ ( dino.utopia )

新北市土城區祖田里的山區居民，舊地名為「媽祖田庄」，這一群在清朝來台開墾的原墾戶，從未離開這塊土地。台灣光復後，執行台灣接管計劃的新莊代理郡守， 同時也是新莊寺廟慈祐宮的管理人林世南，在民國45年以「理事長」的名義把「媽祖田庄」三百甲的土地權狀擅自領走，在光復後的民主時代，祖田里的原墾戶財 產權卻登記成為新莊慈祐宮的廟產，如今當地居民長期被 「無權占有、拆屋還地」的訴訟所壓迫，從民國82年展開一連串的司法訴訟，村民被控告「無權佔有，拆屋還地」。貧窮的村民一旦走上司法，除了要負擔律師 費、裁判費，還要繳交比慈祐宮高出三倍的「保證金」！大部份的村民都因為負擔不起昂貴的司法費用，只好被迫和慈祐宮簽訂不平等的土地租約，居民不再發言， 只因為他們對長年的訴訟疲憊而深感無力感。

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