Asia Cement Corp's Taroko mining rights repealed

The Taipei High Administrative Court has repealed Asia Cement Corp’s (ACC) right to operate a cement mine located in Taroko National Park, Taiwan. This decision upheld an appeal from Taroko residents and falls against a Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) decision to grant a 20-year extension of mining rights until 2037.

After the extension of mining rights was granted in November 2016, Taroko residents responded by filing a lawsuit against the MOEA and ACC. The court ruled for the residents on the grounds that ACC violated Article 21 of the Indigenous Peoples Basic Law. As such, the court found that ACC should have consulted with the indigenous people living near the mine or gained their agreement. Furthermore, MOEA failed to require that ACC correct this violation, according to Taiwan News.