OPPOSING TAINAN RAILWAY PROJECT GROUP PREVENTED FROM PROTEST|南鐵地下化動工 反東移團體陳情受阻

Yesterday, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for a project that will move about 8 kilometers of railway underground in Tainan city. However, a group opposing the project was prevented from protesting at the ceremony and could only demonstrate far away from the site. Minister of Transportation Ho Chen Tan and Tainan Mayor William Lai both participated in the groundbreaking ceremony for Tainan's railway grade separation, a historic step forward for the project. Lai said that he hopes the project will be finished on time so that Tainan City can continue in its progress. However, a group of protestors were demonstrating outside of the site. ==WILLIAM LAI Tainan City Mayor== There is nothing illegal about this project. Everything is in accordance with the law, otherwise, the Ministry of Transportation and Tainan City Hall will never have gone forward with it. We have obtained 80% of the land necessary, which is all that is required to begin construction. A civic group opposed to the project gathered members and supporters to protest the groundbreaking, leading to physical altercations with the police. The demonstrators ended up displaying their slogans and talking to the press on the sidewalk nearby. ==CHEN CHIH-HSIAO President, Anti-Tainan Railway Relocation Self-Help Association== Because the procedures for the whole project have not been completed, this groundbreaking should not have been held. If the project is rejected later the whole thing would have been a waste of money. The project is currently scheduled for completion in December 2022, but the Self-Help Association says that it will not compromise on the land expropriation issues. If a consensus cannot be reached with the landowners along the railway line, this major project may face yet more delays. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 台南鐵路地下化工程今日舉行動土典禮，全長8.23公里的台南鐵路地下化計畫預計2022年12月通車啟用，只不過反南鐵東移全線自救會成員要到場陳情受阻，短暫與員警推擠，最後只能在場外遠處表達意見，對此，台南市長賴清德強調，絕大多數居民都已同意，反對的只是少數人。 動土儀式之後，代表台南市鐵路地下化今天又踏出歷史性一步；上午交通部長賀陳旦與台南市長賴清德等人都參與了動土儀式，賴清德說，期望工程能如期如質完工，讓台南市持續進步，只不過場內在動土，場外卻在抗議。 ==台南市長 賴清德== 這個在法律上 完全沒有違法 完全合乎法律的規定 否則的話 交通部跟台南市政府政府單位 不會去做 因為我們已經取得 超過百分之八十的土地 在動工上 本身就合乎法律的要求 對於台南市政府大動作舉行動土儀式，反南鐵東移自救會號召同志及關心的民眾到場陳情，同時跟警方爆發推擠，最後陳情民眾在一旁的人行道上拉布條、召開記者會表達訴求。 ==反南鐵東移全線自救會會長 陳致曉== 整個南鐵計畫案 程序都還沒有完成之前 是不應該進行動工典禮 今天這樣子幹 以後案子如果被駁回 這些錢不就是浪費了 台南鐵路地下化工程，預計2022年12月通車啟用，但反南鐵東移自救會強調決不妥協，因此未來若沒有徹底跟拆遷戶達成共識，這個台南市各界期待許久的重大建設，恐怕沒有那麼容易妥協。 記者 溫正衡 台南報導