I guess I’ll be the first to take the other side. I see this a bit differently. If the patients were not being given a new place to live, I would agree that that MRT depot not be built there or at least moved to accommodate the leprosarium. However, as the patients are being relocated to a new location/facility, I feel the needs of the general public should come before those of a very, very select and small number of people.
A few people posting here have colored the discussion by saying ‘the government wants to cram them all into an ugly new hospital building and leave them there to die’. A little overly dramatic. Well, it could also be said the government has constructed a new, updated treatment facility to take care of their needs. This way, it can move ahead with a much needed public transportation project, which has far more peoples’ interests in mind. Don’t forget, many people have and continue to protest on both sides of this issue.
I am certainly not trying to be heartless to those suffering with leprosy, but I think the government and other relevant authorities have adequately taken care of the situation and must do what serves the general public over the needs of a few.
[quote=“Belgian Pie”][quote=“MaGwaiFan”]Sorry, but one morbid question: How old is the youngest resident?
One practical question: How much trouble is it to reroute the MRT line?[/quote]
I don’t think that’s a point … the point is, it’s all about money and the place is a heritage site according to many.
They should have planned rerouting the MRT even before they planned it … but I guess they were thinking that the place and the people were disposable …[/quote]
Of course… that’s the Taiwanese way. Anything but, would just be too civilized :s
I have had some brief contats with leprosy in Central America some years back…a.k.a. Hansens Disease.
I have not Googled this, but I seem to remember there are 2 main types - “Wet” and “Dry” Hansens. I think the ‘Wet’ type is somewhat contagious and the ‘dry’ version is either much less so or not at all.
I just remember that some of the folks were OK to be around and some were kept separated. Either one was a stone b*tch to see. I also remember that some of the patients were in their 20’s. This was in the early '80’s.
While I mostly agree with what Mer posted; I also think this place should be declared a “Heritage Site” and preserved for Island historical purposes.
Were I there, I wouldn’t want to be moved either. Seriously, who wants to live on a hospital floor?
I hear it’s a beautiful spot, and worth preserving, but what’s the argument for establishing this as a heritage site? What’s being preserved or recognized: the suffering of people afflicted by a terrible disease? Their isolation and social stigma?
btw, India apparently has tens of thousands of new cases of leprosy each year.
I can understand some people would choose public benefit when it comes to something like this.
And there’s nothing wrong with that choice itself, since people tend to treat an issue from different perspectives.
I think the reason that I am in favour of preserving the leprosarium is because as a Taiwanese, I am pretty tired of seeing or hearing the government (no matter which one) choose development rather than preserving something valuable for our culture. It might or might not been have been a difficult situation for the government-- I don’t know. All I can see is the result after the decision they have made. And I suppose I can only reach my own judgement from here.
When people ask what Taiwanese culture is, I just have no idea how to answer. Yes, Taiwan is developing; yes, Taiwan is trying hard to make more and more money. (Which country isn’t?) But this shouldn’t be the core of the culture; I think most of us somehow just forget or don’t see how much one can be affected by the surroundings and how shallow or empty one can be when the surroundings don’t really have much depth.
Now people might argue that keeping this leprosarium wouldn’t make Taiwanese culture richer. For me though, I see this place as something valuable for the world history of leprosy. After the last generation of these patients, although we wouldn’t have to deal with this disease on this island again, that doesn’t mean we should erase this whole period of time from the history of Taiwan.
Also, it’s nice that the government has provided a place for these people to move into, but the new place shouldn’t be worse than where they’re living right now. You want them to move? Fine. But don’t just dump them into a cold building and let them die there. That just doesn’t make me feel like the government is really trying hard to treat these people equally. And these people have already had miserable lives, so I think they deserve a little better than this.
It bums me out that every week it seems that the protesting residents meet with yet another big official who declares that the issue is resolved … and then of course it is not.
put them up in one of Chiang’s old mansions, like in Shulin.
loverly gardens, vera.
then dismantle the old building, brick by brick, and rebuild it on the site of the Taiwan Democracy Memorial in place of that hideous blue roofed barn that houses the statue of Abraham Lincoln Kai Shek. leave the wall up while you’re at it. then put the MRT maintenance yard in the vacated place, and fill the new hospital with hospital patients, as designed. everyone wins.
There is a student from National Cheng-chi University who made a documentary about the residents of Lo Sheng and their fight against the MRT (with English subtitles). I saw the film last may at their film festival. She was even able to bring in some of the residents to the university for an interview after the film. It was an excellent film and quite moving. I don’t have a copy but if anyone is interested I can probably get the email address of the girl who made it and she may be able to get you a copy.