2007/03/14

Liu Kwang-Yin

In the beginning of the 20^th century, a colonial era when Taiwan was still part of Japan, Losheng Leprosy Sanatorium was built by the regime to house leprosy patients, whose mystic disease was considered by most people to be highly contagious.

Overwhelming fear swept the nation, forcing the inflicted ones into lifelong quarantine. No one spoke out for them, because the healthy ones feared not only for the disease, but also for the merciless colonial laws.

Patients who survived, no longer infectious, became residents at the sanatorium, where they spent most of their lives. Since their family, friends and lovers had long forsaken them, the Losheng Sanatorium became their new heaven, and the only one there was.

In 1945, the Japanese regime withdrew from Taiwan, while the KMT from mainland China took over the island. The Losheng residents stayed where they were, because that was where their lives were; besides, no one seemed enthusiastic to speak out for their trauma, to ask for compensation for all those lost years.

Some Things Change, While Some Never Do

Half a century later, in 2004, the Taipei city government filed an order to tear down Losheng Sanatorium because they planned to build a metro line through it. The government offered a new building for the Losheng residents, most of whom had no wish to leave their home.
This time, some people decided to speak out for them.

The Losheng Youths cooperated with the residents in protests against the official order, organizing movements and concerts in the past few years, arousing more people to pay attention to their dire situation.
Their efforts did not pass unnoticed, at least not in Japan. On Oct. 25, 2005, Tokyo District Court decided to compensate leprosy patients who were treated inhumanely on Japanese colonies, including those at Losheng Sanatorium in Taipei.

However, just a few days ago, a major confrontation broke out in front of the house of Prime Minister Su Tseng-chang. Because the Executive Yuan, headed by Su, has recently ordered Taipei city government to demolish Losheng, and its residents should leave within seven days, the Losheng Youths, along with Losheng residents gathered to tell the minister, “We don’t want to be forced away!”

According to local government procedure, Losheng will be demolished before the middle of April. Right now there is a solution by which 90 percent of Losheng can be preserved but Prime Minister Su refuses to adopt the solution because if pressure from interest groups.

Urgent Call for Attention

The Losheng Sanatorium is historical for its years of silenced pain and memorable because of its suppressed souls. The residents are old, weak and much too alone to fight against the will of the nation, even with the angry youths, who appear fragile in the face of police power.

They need more people to speak for them, not only from Taiwan, but also from wherever you are.

Please sign the Online petition (Eligible signatories: residents of Sinjhuang City, Taipei County Taiwan)

http://www.petitiononline.com/Neil/...

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 Clashes erupt over leprosarium

Loa Iok-sin and Shih Hsiu-chuan

Published on Taipei Times

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/

17 March 2007

PETITION: A group called on legislators to pass a stalled statute that would detail the government’s responsibility to provide for people with leprosy.

STAFF REPORTERS

Saturday, Mar 17, 2007, Page 2

Members of the Youth Alliance for Losheng yesterday attempt to prevent Taipei County Government officials from posting a notice with a new deadline for the eviction of residents at Lo Sheng Sanatorium, a leprosarium in Taipei County. Around 40 protesters blocked the gate to the building.

A new deadline for the eviction of residents at Lo Sheng (Happy Life) Sanatorium, a leprosarium in Taipei County, sparked physical clashes between police officers and protesters yesterday.

The Taipei County Government has decided to give residents at the sanatorium until April 16 to move out.

Physical clashes broke out when protesters attempted to prevent the police from posting a notice announcing the new deadline yesterday.
Three protesters were arrested.

The Lo Sheng Sanatorium was built in 1929 to house leprosy patients. Leprosy was at the time believed to be easily contagious and incurable, and patients were therefore quarantined for life.

Free movement for sufferers of leprosy has only been allowed since the 1950s.

In order to build a maintenance facility for the MRT system, government authorities have decided to move residents at the sanatorium to a newly built home nearby and demolish most of the buildings at Lo S?heng.
The decision has met with opposition from some Lo Sheng residents, leprosy rights activists and preservationists.

“Save Lo Sheng. It’s not just about saving historic buildings ... it’s also about respecting the basic human rights of a group of disadvantaged people,” the Youth Alliance for Lo Sheng said in a press release.

Tuesday was the original deadline for eviction.

But after demonstrations in front of Premier Su Tseng-chang’s residence focused public attention on the issue the Taipei County Government decided to postpone the deadline until April 16^th.

Around 40 protesters, including human-rights activists, students, residents of Lo Sheng and their families, blocked the main gate as hundreds of police officers approached the facility this morning, said Lai Che-chun , a representative of the International Association for Integration Dignity and Economic Advancement (IDEA), who participated in the protests.

IDEA is an international organization protecting the rights of leprosy sufferers.

“The police couldn’t get in through the main gate, so they sneaked through a back gate to post the mandatory eviction notice on the bulletin board,” Lai said.

“They’re like thieves! Only thieves go through backdoors!” A Lo Sheng resident cried.

Another clash broke out as protesters tore down the posted notice.
“We tore down the notice and when the police saw that, the SWAT team moved in and arrested people,” said Soda Masoto, a Japanese student pursuing his doctorate in Taiwan.

Three protesters were arrested and one passed out during the clash, Lai said
Meanwhile, a group of leprosy patients yesterday presented a petition to the Legislative Yuan calling on lawmakers to speed up the passage of a statute providing for their needs.

Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kuo Su-chun received their petition on behalf of his party.

“Premier Su says the statute is stalled in the legislature. We want legislators to pass it as soon as possible,” said Chan Ming-chou (???), a member of the Hansen’s Patients Human Rights Violation Investigation Committee.

The self-help group, organized with the goal of preserving Lo Sheng Sanatorium, demanded that legislators make preserving the leprosarium one of the articles of the statute.

The current version of the statue only discusses compensation for the patients.

Legislators are divided over the statute, which aims at detailing measures that must be taken to compensate for the suffering of leprosy patients.

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Losheng Sanatorium on Wikipedia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losheng_Sanatorium

 Losheng Sanatorium

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Losheng Sanatorium is a hospital for lepers, which is located in Hsinchuang City, Taipei County. During 1930s, this hospital was the only public sanatorium for leprosy patients in Taiwan and also the first leprosy hospital in Taiwan.

Losheng, named Rakusei Sanatorium for Lepers of Governor-General of Taiwan originally, was built in 1929 during Japanese colonial period and served as an isolation hospital for leprosy patients at that time. The Japanese government forced leprosy patients to live in this hospital. The first 5 buildings can offer more than 100 patients.

In 2001, due to the construction of Taipei Rapid Transit System, the authorities planed of Hsinchuang Line to transform Losheng to a community hospital, thus put an end to its dedicated hospitalization and care for leprosy patients. Many students, urban planners and NGO tried to protect this sanatorium from that time.

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GVO?Taiwan: bloggers act on saving Lo-Sheng Sanatorium (11 Mar 2007)

http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/2007/03/11/taiwan-bloggers-act-on-saving-lo-sheng-sanatorium/

Sunday, March 11^th, 2007 @ 1:08 EST

 Taiwan: bloggers act on saving Lo-Sheng Sanatorium

Losheng Sanatorium is a hospital for lepers which is located in the suburbs of Taipei. Since 1930s, this hospital is the only public sanatorium for Hansen’s disease (leprosy) patients in Taiwan. In 2001, due to the construction of Taipei mass rapid transportation, the authorities planned to transform Losheng to a community hospital, thus put an end to its dedicated hospitalization and care for the leprosy ex-patients. Many students, urban planners and NGO tried to save this sanatorium from that time. After five years, they finally got a chance to make the government reconsidering a new version which reserves 90% of the sanatorium, instead of the original plan, 41%.

However, just two days ago, the Department of Rapid Transit System (Taipei) asked all the leprosy ex-patients remained in the sanatorium to move out before March 13^th, or the enforcement will make that happened by the strong arm. In this morning (March 8^th), 200 policemen dispersed 50 people who were gathering in front of the residence owned by Executive Yuan Premier, Mr. Su Tseng-Chang. Yao, a blogger who was there on that time, called it as a dark day:

I saw a policeman draging and pulling an old man who is too old to resist, and then, his artificial limb was fallen down. A student cried for asking the policemen not using the violence, but what they got? The cold-blooded attack, again and again.

After talking with his friend who was also there on that time, DarkBringer described the brutal force on these old,

Brutal Force

“Brutal Force, just Brutal Force. Is it a preparation for the demolition in the coming day? Or they just want to strike an old man down so that they can move one less?”

Although the protest is to ask the government to keep his word that convenes a conference to discuss the new plan in public, news media prefer putting their focus on the conflict itself rather than the statement of the protesters. PipperL wrote down his observations:

Look at the TV, they only care about conflicts rather than the protest itself. Yeah, conflicts. Screaming, shouting, people were pushed and shaken. They are the takes those SNG and reporters want. The tension and excitement attract eyeballs of the audiences, and makes them hold their remote control and stay on the channel. But after the end of the video, why were these people gathering? What is the whole context of the protest? What direction may the event go? No body cares, they just move into the next headline — which politician registers as a candidate for presidential campaign 2008.
In the mean time, Ancorena revealed in his blog, that he decided to give his

If there is any politician, especially the candidate who runs for president 2008, can help us to successfully reserve the whole sanatorium, then during the election campaign, I will support him or her in my electoral district.
Ancorena also made some stickers and suggestions for the people who want to join this protest.

In Taiwan blogosphere, many bloggers are now collaborating their articles, photos, videos and even podcasts together, seeking for support from the society. To step out from the actions in blogoshpere, these bloggers decide to extend the movement to the real world. If the news media report their move, more people may know what’s going on. Like the words wenli speak out loudly:?

It’s time to be offensive!!

Written by Swpave, edited by PipperL and abstract. All are GV Chinese Project Team members