Prominent figures in social movements – Hong xiang, Tsai Chia-yang receive honor

The difficult task of choosing this years winners of the ‘Social Movement Personality of the Year Award’ was given to prominent public figure He Zong-xun(何宗勳), who from the 21 male and 17 female entrants selected the six finalists: Tsai Chia-yang (蔡嘉陽) , Liao Ben-chuan(廖本全), Tashi Tsering(札西慈仁), Shih Yue-ying (施月英), 蔡培慧(Tsai Pei-hui) and Hong Xiang(洪箱). In the end it was Tsai Chia-yang, chairman of the Taiwan Environmental Protection Union, and Hong Xiang, sufferer of land expropriation laws in Miaoli Wanbao, who took away the prestigious awards.

A milestone in national transformation: Tsai Chia-yang (Male)

Taiwan Environmental Protection Union Chairman, Providence University Lecturer

Tsai Chia-yang is the main man at the helm of the ‘Oppose Formosa Plastics’ movement. Almost overnight, he transformed himself from a mere nature lover to an eco-warrior fighting for his homeland. In the fight against the high-energy consumption, high pollution, high water consumption, "Kuo Kuang Petrochemical", he has never fallen into political battles but instead united local public opinion and people from all walks of life. This has allowed the movement to cross borders and arouse the enthusiasm of a new generation of young people. Academia, the arts community, the social movement sector, the medical community and law community were all mobilized in unison, which had a huge impact on the public at large. At the same time, the group’s own political system helped guide the environmental movement to became the focus of mainstream society and take a step closer to ultimate success.

Defender of land prices: Hong Xiang (Female)

Victims of an incident involving expropriation of agricultural land, Houlong Township’s Wanbao Village Community Development Association Chairman

Hong Xiang is the representative of farmers who protest on Ketagalan Boulevard. She has transformed herself from a shy 50-year-old woman into a goddess in the fight for land rights. “Why is it that our farmers aren’t allowed to get angry? Our houses and land have been taken from us, so why aren’t we supposed to get angry?” She led the fight against the government’s forced expropriation of land, mobilizing the latent force of the people - transforming ‘villagers’ into ‘citizens’, and ‘apathetic farmers’ into ‘front-line activists’ to began fighting for their homeland. She took the initiative to begin actively fighting for her homeland by defying aggressors as well as providing a great deal of assistance to others facing similar repression. Her strong willpower together with a deep sense of righteousness toppled regional politicians to protect her homeland – a feat that gave many others the inspiration to stand up and do the same. In the area of grassroots movements she is undoubtedly one of the most outstanding personages of her era.

(以下為中文對照)

社運風雲人物《洪箱、蔡嘉陽》獲殊榮 ( hehe )

URL:

http://www.peopo.org/portal.php?op=viewPost&articleId=96326
由社運人士何宗勳發起《社運風雲人物選拔》，今年是第二屆舉辦，從入圍男性21位、女性
17位選出：蔡嘉陽、廖本全、札西慈仁、施月英、蔡培慧、洪箱六位，最後由蔡嘉陽《彰化環境保護聯盟理事長》與洪箱《苗栗灣寶的農地徵收事件受害者》出
線，榮登《2011社運風雲人物》寶座。

國家轉型的里程碑：蔡嘉陽（男）彰化環境保護聯盟理事長、靜宜大學兼任講師

蔡嘉陽，反國光石化運動最重要的舵手。他從一位熱愛生態者，挺身而出，成為捍衛生態者。為了反對高耗能、高污染、高耗水的「國光石化」，他不落入政黨惡
鬥，結合地方民意、各界有志之士，讓運動跨界、越界，喚起新一代年輕人的熱情。學術界、藝文界、社運界、醫界、法界為此都動起來了，最後影響了全國大眾。
同時更透過體制內的政治途徑，引導環境運動成為主流社會關注的焦點，終究讓運動邁向成功。

土地價值的捍衛者：洪箱（女）農地徵收事件受害者、後龍鎮灣寶里社區發展協會理事長

洪箱，是凱道農民的代表。從一位五十多歲害羞的歐巴桑化身成親上凱道捍衛土地正義的示威女神。「為什麼我們農民都不能生氣？房子土地都給你們收走了，為什
麼我
們都不能生氣？」因為抗議政府強制土地徵收，她帶頭衝撞，把台灣農民的生命力給帶起來。她讓「農民變公民」，與世無爭的農民，變身「公民最前線」，紛紛親
上凱道積極捍衛自己的家園。她以自身經驗挺身對抗霸權，更積極協助其他受壓迫者尋回正義超強的意志力打倒地方政客，保護家園，而且她的成
功也讓其他人勇於站出來，她是推動台灣公民運動一個畫時代的人物。

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