Local resident says over the past two years, numerous calls were made to police about gravel trucks entering the area before dawn while hired lookouts kept residents away.
KAOHSIUNG — Kaohsiung prosecutors and police on Tuesday inspected huge illegal gravel pits in Meinong District (美濃區) that have been dubbed “the Grand Canyon of Meinong.” The inspection was the most recent of many that have taken place since the massive gravel theft scandal broke. The China Times newspaper reported that as the officials were leaving, a tearful 70-year-old farmer confronted them, saying her land had been ruined by years of unregulated excavation and dumping.
The unnamed farmer said gravel trucks had been entering the area before dawn for more than two years while hired lookouts kept residents away. She also alleged that repeated police reports went unanswered and that only low-level workers were arrested, while the ringleaders remained at large.
She said the waste dumped into the pits emits foul odors, and have ruined her crops. Uneven roads damaged by heavy trucks also caused her to crash her scooter, she added.
Precinct police chief for Chishan District Wang Yung-chi quickly stepped in and spoke to the assembled media, promising that authorities have installed cameras and increased monitoring to stop further illegal dumping. “All those responsible will be caught,” Wang said.
However, local residents remain skeptical, warning that fines are often seen by gravel operators as a cost of doing business. Critics point to recent cases in Meinong, Qishan and Dashu, which they say show the scale of the problem and are calling on the central government to strengthen mining laws so that, in one person’s words, “We don’t leave these scars for the next generation.”