Taichung tomb relocation plans in limbo

台中公墓遷葬計劃陷入困境

City government first demands residents move ancestral tombs and then asks for cultural heritage evaluation

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Nantun District residents in Taichung have been left in limbo after the city government issued conflicting orders, first telling them to move family tombs and then saying they could not move them if the tombs are old, according to DPP Taichung City Councilor Ho Wen-hai (何文海).

The city government cited urban planning reasons before issuing a notice asking tomb owners to relocate their deceased relatives’ remains. But their efforts to find suitable plots were suddenly halted when they received a notice from the city’s Mortuary Services Office, prohibiting tombs older than 50 years from being relocated without a cultural heritage preservation evaluation, according to Liberty Times.

Councilor Ho told Liberty Times the city government failed to explain why these tombs fell under the purview of the Cultural Heritage Preservation Act. Also, it did not provide support for its measures.

The city’s Cultural Heritage Department responded to criticism by citing the backlash Tainan and Changhua officials received from history preservation groups and academics after large-scale removals of tombs. A department spokesperson said a cultural heritage preservation evaluation was a Ministry of Culture requirement.

The spokesperson added the notice does not prohibit relocation. Once a tomb has passed the evaluation and is not deemed a cultural asset, it can be moved.