news: Some 500 farmers from Changhwa County cast huge quantities of oyster shells and rice hulls on the ground in front of EPA

500 Changhwa farmers rally against polluting industries CHANGHUA, Taiwan --

Around 500 farmers and fishermen from the coastal village of Wanggong, Erlin Township, in the central Taiwan county of Changhua, rallied in front of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters yesterday, voicing strong opposition to the EPA's likely passage of an environmental impact evaluation report concerning the development of the fourth-stage site of the Central Taiwan Science Park (CTSP).

The protesters unfurled white protest banners and chanted that they don't want Changhua County to be polluted.

They further cast oyster shells and rice hulls to the ground in front the EPA, stating categorically that they objected to locating highly polluting manufacturing enterprises in the planned fourth-stage site of the CTSP, located near Wanggong village.

They were referring to Chunghwa Picture Tubes Co. (CPT), Ltd. and Au Optronics Corp. (AUO), both of whose plants in Xiangshan Township, Hsinchu County, northern Taiwan, had generated serious water pollution. The two firms have applied to locate to the fourth-stage site of the CTSP after development of the site is completed.

Lin Lian-zong, spokesman of the Wanggong Self-Relief Association, said the protest came in response to recent remarks made by Secretary General Lin Zhong-sen of the Cabinet that the environmental impact evaluation report concerning the development of the fourth-phase site of the CTSP would be passed in October and that the development project would kick off in November. The remarks, the spokesman claimed, implied the government has already received the evaluation report passed by the Environmental Impact Evaluation Committee of the EPA.
He continued that the nation's existing environmental protection law is short of regulations governing polluting emissions by high-tech industries, leading to a spate of pollution cases involving high-tech manufacturing operations.

“As the government has shown little regard for the development of local farming and fishing industries and the livelihood of farmers and fishermen, we have no other choice but to stage a protest, hoping the EPA will not pass the environmental impact evaluation report on the fourth-stage development project of the CTSP,” Lin said.

Meanwhile, Shih Yueh-ying, chief executive of the Changhua County Environmental Protection Alliance, suspected that the CTSP has yet to inspect the water pollution situations of the aforementioned two high-tech manufacturing enterprises, CPT and AUO. “We cannot leave our next generation live in a polluted environment,” Shih stressed.

She called for members of the environmental impact evaluation committee to say “no” to the fourth-development project of the CTSP until after pollution cases occurring at all the industrial zones around the island are settled.

“The CTSP Administration had better withdraw its fourth-stage development project, lest residents suffer nightmares,” Shih said.

In response, a spokesman with the EPA said that the EPA won't interfere in the independent operations of the environmental impact evaluation committee, and will fully respect the final decisions made by the committee concerning any major development projects.
The spokesman stressed that the EPA will not sacrifice environmental protection for economic benefits.


Sources from: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/life/environment/2009/10/06/227415/500-Changhwa.htm

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/photos/default.asp?ID=227415&GRP=Q

http://taiwansousa.blogspot.com/2009/10/stop-ctsp-erlin-science-park-protect.html