Posted on September 10, 2025
TAIPEI — Kaohsiung authorities launched a crackdown Tuesday (Sept. 9) on illegal sand and gravel extraction operations devastating agricultural land in the southern Taiwan city. Mayor Chen Chi-mai (陳其邁) announced joint inspections with prosecutors targeting Meinong District (美濃) following reports of widespread farmland destruction. The city pledged permanent confiscation of any machinery caught violating soil conservation laws, escalating enforcement against operators exploiting protected agricultural areas.
Mayor Chen delivered a stern warning during municipal meetings, declaring zero tolerance for illegal excavation operations targeting protected farmland. The mayor announced that landowners who over-excavate and sell soil illegally must restore their properties within designated deadlines or face forced land auctions. Kaohsiung’s government partnered with the Ciaotou District Prosecutors Office (橋檢) to establish joint inspection teams conducting regular patrols and deploying advanced technology enforcement measures.
The Economic Development Bureau (經發局) reported that Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) spearheaded cross-departmental inspection teams targeting affected zones in Meinong’s Hsin Chi Yang (新吉洋) and Cheng Kung (成功) sections. Lin announced intensive carpet inspections designed to dramatically increase monitoring frequency across vulnerable agricultural areas. The city installed sophisticated surveillance camera networks at strategic intersections throughout identified hotspots to deter and detect illegal extraction activities.
Kaohsiung’s Agriculture Bureau (農業局) and Land Administration Bureau (地政局) deployed drone surveillance conducting irregular aerial photography missions over suspected violation sites. Officials pledged immediate enforcement action removing unauthorized non-agricultural structures including illegal fencing upon detection through aerial monitoring. Police reports and citizen complaints through the 1999 municipal hotline identified six active illegal sand and gravel extraction sites in Meinong this year, prompting severe penalties under Soil and Water Conservation Act provisions.
Kaohsiung officials reaffirmed their commitment to prosecutorial partnerships conducting joint inspections across multiple districts including Meinong, Liouguei (六龜), Shanlin (杉林), and Cishan (旗山). The Economic Development Bureau pledged to pressure Taiwan’s central government for expedited Soil and Water Conservation Act amendments incorporating criminal liability provisions. These legislative changes aim to create more effective deterrence against illegal extraction operations threatening the region’s agricultural sustainability.
