TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Dozens of demonstrators converged Thursday (May 15) outside a newly completed funeral facility in rural Fangyuan Township (芳苑), a coastal community in central Taiwan, voicing fierce opposition to both the funeral home's inauguration and an associated crematorium project. The controversial facility, which required 4.5 years of planning and construction, attempted to mark its opening with a morning peace prayer ceremony intended to consecrate the complex as part of a larger "life memorial area" that includes spaces for storing funeral urns.
The protest intensified as demonstrators circled the property and made unsuccessful attempts to force entry into the building before being blocked by local police officers. Chen Kuang-hui (陳光輝), who leads the grassroots opposition movement, articulated residents' concerns that the funeral home represents merely the first phase of development, with the more controversial crematorium facility inevitably following. Local citizens worry primarily about potential air quality degradation and broader environmental impacts on their community.
Officials from Changhua County Government, the local administrative authority overseeing the region, defended the memorial complex as a necessary public service while pledging continued dialogue with community organizations about their environmental concerns. Representatives from the Department of Civil Affairs (民政處), the county agency responsible for funeral services and cemetery management, justified the development by citing demographic pressures from Taiwan's rapidly aging population and evolving funeral customs that necessitate modern facilities.
County officials disclosed that the planned crematorium facility would occupy a substantial 9.51-hectare plot where property acquisition and resident relocation processes have already concluded. The development blueprint emphasizes environmental mitigation strategies, including comprehensive landscaping to soften the facility's visual presence and carefully engineered traffic patterns designed to shield surrounding residential communities from increased vehicle movement associated with funeral services. ◼