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Shida area shuts
lights in protest
LOST HOPE? As many businesses in the night
market area are in apparent violation of city bylaws, some are making plans to
close down their shops by the end of the month
By Jake Chung / Staff Writer, with CNA
Shopowners in the Shida Night
Market area in Taipei light sparklers last night as they turned their lights off
for 30 minutes to protest against the forced closures of stores in the area.
Photo: Tsai Wei-chi, Taipei Times
In one last endeavor to reach out to the
Taipei City Government and establish dialogue over the forced closures of stores
in the Shida Night Market, the Shida Shopping District Development Promotion
Association and the Allied Guardians of Shida Commercial, both advocacy groups
for business owners, in tandem with nearly 400 stores, launched a silent protest
yesterday evening by turning their lights off for 30 minutes.
¡§We want fair treatment!¡¨ a group of shopowners chanted in unison amid the
¡§lights-out¡¨ protest.
With the first wave of the city government¡¦s notice of payment for violations
given out to businesses in the area, some store owners are already making plans
to close shop by the end of the month.
Because of the Shida Night Market¡¦s location within a residential area,
expansion of the night market in recent years has caused local residents to
complain to the city government about the growing levels and amounts of noise,
garbage and greasy smoke produced.
Many of the restaurants and clothing stores in the Shida Night Market have set
up shop in alleys less than 6m across and are in violation of a Taipei City
urban planning bylaw which prohibits the operation of restaurants, retail stores
or service-related businesses in alleys less than 6m wide.
Many of the store owners said they are worried they would be forced to close
shop because they do not meet legal requirements.
More than 400 stores in the area switched off their lights in protest, beginning
at 8pm, in hopes that it would persuade the Taipei City Government to listen to
their pleas and offer a channel of communication. Owners of the stores spanning
Pucheng Street, Longquan Street and Shida Road Alley 39, prepared glow sticks
and encouraged supporters of the Shida Night Market to take a stand with them.
A number of restaurants in the Shida Night Market area had responded to the
Taipei City Government¡¦s crackdown on stores in narrow alleys by closing for
lunch on Thursday.
In a move meant to both inconvenience the public and attract its support, many
restaurant owners on Thursday closed their stores at noon and put up notices
that read: ¡§Why only Shida Night Market?¡¨ and ¡§Is it fair?¡¨
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