Taiwan Residents Regain Access After Months-Long Land Dispute Resolved

Public Authority Steps In to Remove Obstruction, Ensuring Residents' Right of Way in Hualien County

The local authorities in Taiwan's Hualien County have taken action to resolve a prolonged dispute affecting six households in Ji'an Township. The issue stemmed from a new landowner's installation of fences on private land, effectively blocking access to the residents' homes since August of the previous year.

After repeated attempts at mediation and the imposition of fines by the Ji'an Township Office proved unsuccessful, the case was escalated to the Hualien Branch of the Ministry of Justice's Administrative Enforcement Agency. This led to the forced removal of the illegal fencing, restoring access to the affected properties.

The Ji'an Township Office reported that they issued three administrative penalties against the responsible party, totaling NT$360,000 in fines. Despite being ordered to remove the obstructions, the individual failed to comply or pay the fines, prompting the legal intervention. The removal of the fences was overseen by the Township Mayor, 游淑貞 (You Shuzhen), and the head of the construction department on May 6th.

The construction department explained that the affected land parcels, designated as road use under the "Ji'an (near Township Office) Urban Planning," had previously been used for access since 1992. The original landowner had provided consent for road use to a construction company. However, after the land was acquired by a new owner through auction in July 2024, fencing was erected in August, following failed negotiations with the residents for the purchase of the land.

The Township Office issued formal notices and fines, as per the Urban Planning Act, in August 2024, January and March 2025, requiring the responsible party to restore the original condition. After the third fine, the authorities were empowered to enforce removal, according to the “Hualien County Regulations for Handling Violations of Urban Planning Land Use Control and Uniform Sentencing Criteria.”

One resident, surnamed 葉 (Ye), expressed relief, stating that the removal of the fences, which had been in place for nine months, finally freed them. The original obstruction had restricted access to a narrow passage, causing significant inconvenience. 福興 (Fuxing) Village Chief 黃駿緯 (Huang Junwei) also expressed his gratitude for the Township Office's assistance in resolving the long-standing issue.

游淑貞 (You Shuzhen) emphasized the local government's commitment to protecting the residents' rights. She thanked the local councilors 吳建志 (Wu Jianzhi) and 溫文谷 (Wen Wengu), and Village Chief 黃駿緯 (Huang Junwei) for their support.