苗栗YA！環境組

英文稿來源:When the Excavators Came to the Rice Fields

 

 

In the eyes of farmers, their land is like life itself, painstakingly farming and protecting the land. Sadly, they are sometimes faced with terrible treatment. 

 

     In order to develop Jhunan Science Park, MiaoLi County government located in central Taiwan, plan to expropriate the farmland in Dapu.  The government valued the land using the government assessed and publicly announced land value of the price, a sum of money that falls far below the market value.  Some local farmers do not want to accept this expropriation order and naturally unwilling to hand over land rights.

 

On the 8th June 2010, a rather queer atmosphere extended over the whole of this simple village.  Police put concrete roadblocks in place cutting off any entry or exit form the village.  The full strength of the police stealthily made their way into the residential community and forbid the entry of anyone except local residents. In the early hours of the morning of the 9th of June, out of the blue 20 excavators made their way into the rice fields, which were on the verge of harvesting, and began to run amok in a rampage of destruction, annihilating the richly laden rice fields in the blink of an eye.

 

 Farmers tried to obstruct the excavators by standing in their way, pleading with them not to destroy their crops in such a callous way.  However no matter whether it was elderly farmers or women holding babies in their arms, all were dealt the same harsh and unforgiving treatment by police.  One woman sobbed in tears as she said, “I fell to my knees in front of the excavators begging them not to destroy my farmland, but they just wouldn’t listen to me.” Excavators drove all over the fields, completely destroying the rice that was ready for harvesting, leaving only a pile of muck in their wake.  Farmers could only look on in bewilderment at the destroyed rice fields, speechlessly looking to the heavens for the reason why. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

延伸閱讀:

     

 

    農田對於農民來說，像是生命一樣重要，他們用心守護著土地，但有時卻得面對殘酷的對待。   為了開發竹南科學園區，位在台灣中部的苗栗縣政府，計畫徵收大埔的農地，政府單位用的是公告地價的價格，而其實這個金額遠遠低於土地的市價。

 

有些農民因為不願意接受徵收，遲遲不願交出土地權狀。    2010年6月8日，不尋常的氣氛蔓延在這個純樸的農村，警察運來水泥拒馬隔絕村莊的對外聯絡道路，警力悄悄進駐社區，只要不是在地的民眾，管制嚴格地不准進出。6月9號凌晨三點多，20多輛怪手迅雷不及掩耳地，開進農民即將收成的農田中，用破壞的方式，在田間橫行，結實累累的稻穀一夕之間化為烏有。   

 

農民試圖阻擋在怪手前，請他們不要如此踐踏農地，但不論是老農民或是抱著小孩的婦女，全都遭到警察強勢的架開。一位婦女哭訴，「我就跪在怪手前，請他們不要這樣破壞農地，但卻沒人理我」。怪手在田間穿梭，即將收成的稻穀只剩一堆爛泥，農民望著被搗爛的農田，無語問蒼天。    事實上台灣的許多科學園區，都是廢棄閒置中。但地方政府為了工業開發，用毫無溝通可能的態度，對待將農地視為重要資產的農民。

 

苗栗縣縣長劉政鴻曾經當面向農民承諾，將採取「從優從寬」的補償。2010年苗栗縣議會也做成決議，在沒有跟居民達成共識前，將暫緩徵收，但卻在6月9號用整地為名，將怪手開進不願繳出權狀的農民農地中。

 

  當怪手開進良田，大埔農地的徵收問題是一個縮影，類似的情況在台灣各地都有可能發生，農民的聲音很微弱，需要更多人一起相挺與關心。