Grade school students protest over toxic gases
source: http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/national/national-news/2009/01/17/192389/Grade-school.htm
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TAIPEI, Taiwan -- About 2,000 protesters from southern Taiwan demonstrated in front of the presidential building yesterday in protest of government failure to track down the source of poisonous gases that has caused scores of students and residents in their community to become sick. The protesters from Chaoliao, Pingtung County, many of them elementary school students, said they wanted to tell President Ma Ying-jeou that they did not want to “breathe in toxic gas” every day.
The Chaoliao community has been living in fear since Dec. 1, 2008 when 82 elementary school students became ill from inhaling the toxic gases.
The foul smell of the gases were again detected on Dec. 12, 25, and 29.
Earlier this month they staged a blockade of a sewage processing plant in the industrial zone in their neighborhood which is suspected to be the origin of the gases.
But so far, environmental authorities in the southern county has been unable to identify the source of the gases.
The protesters said the government has been procrastinating, with no one willing to take up the responsibility of finding a solution to the problem.
“We are very angry and cannot bear it anymore,” said Huang Tien-huang, head of Taliao Township, of which Chaoliao is a part. “That's why we are here to protest and hope President Ma can listen to us and give us back clean air.”
Huang said they demanded that the sewage processing plant be removed and that further environmental evaluation be conducted on the industrial zone in their neighborhood.
The chief said if they do not receive a response, they will come back to Taipei tomorrow to stage another protest.
Huang said they were not asking for money or any form compensation, but the government needs to be responsible for solving the problem.
An official from the Presidential Office greeted the protesters and accepted their letter of protest. The protest ended peacefully.
The Cabinet's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said they will be ready to allocate up to NT$10 million to fund a special medical program if such gas poisoning occurs again at Taliao.
The Chaoliao community has been living in fear since Dec. 1, 2008 when 82 elementary school students became ill from inhaling the toxic gases.
The foul smell of the gases were again detected on Dec. 12, 25, and 29.
Earlier this month they staged a blockade of a sewage processing plant in the industrial zone in their neighborhood which is suspected to be the origin of the gases.
But so far, environmental authorities in the southern county has been unable to identify the source of the gases.
The protesters said the government has been procrastinating, with no one willing to take up the responsibility of finding a solution to the problem.
“We are very angry and cannot bear it anymore,” said Huang Tien-huang, head of Taliao Township, of which Chaoliao is a part. “That's why we are here to protest and hope President Ma can listen to us and give us back clean air.”
Huang said they demanded that the sewage processing plant be removed and that further environmental evaluation be conducted on the industrial zone in their neighborhood.
The chief said if they do not receive a response, they will come back to Taipei tomorrow to stage another protest.
Huang said they were not asking for money or any form compensation, but the government needs to be responsible for solving the problem.
An official from the Presidential Office greeted the protesters and accepted their letter of protest. The protest ended peacefully.
The Cabinet's Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) said they will be ready to allocate up to NT$10 million to fund a special medical program if such gas poisoning occurs again at Taliao.
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