The Cabinet-level Environmental Protection Administration said Aug. 18 that it will help settle the dispute between Mailiao Township residents in Yunlin County and the Formosa Plastics Group over pollution compensation issues.
The EPA made the remarks after a meeting convened in Taipei on the matter, noting that it will intervene should the Yunlin County government fail to ink a satisfactory compensation deal with FPG. The EPA did not specify in what way it might mediate in the case, however.
In July, two FPG petrochemical plants in Mailiao caught fire and burned for several days, enraging local residents, who claimed their crops and fisheries were damaged by pollutants released by the fires.
Over 1,300 residents have filed complaints for damage, according to the EPA, which has promised to process the requests soon, with the help of the Yunlin County government.
Local residents had demanded a compensation package of NT$1.7 billion (US$53.3 million), but FPG, after an Aug. 16 meeting with the county government, agreed to offer only NT$500 million.
For three days in a row since Aug. 17, over 1,000 residents have used trucks, tractors and motorcycles to blockade roads leading into the petrochemical complex, demanding the company respect their requests.
A standoff between protesters and police outside the Mailiao complex since early Aug. 19 continued as of press time. (THN)