More than four thousand angry residents of Hualien, led by County Magistrate Fu Kun-chi, came to Taipei on Monday to protest the extended delay of the Suhua Highway improvement project. Fu demanded the government to stop ignoring their need for a safe route home, and start construction as soon as possible.

Hualien County Commissioner Fu Kun-chi led a group of Hualien residents to Taipei to submit a petition to the central government, as they cannot stand the dangerous Suhua highway anymore.

To highlight how far it is for them to travel to Taipei after the Suhua highway was ravaged, Fu chose to take the south-link highway to travel to Taipei. The ride, which could have been only 3 hours if using the Suhua highway, turned out to be 14 hours.

More than 4,000 people joined the petition effort.

Some people came by tour bus while others by train.

The environmental assessment process has taken 14 years.

Protesters now blamed President Ma for his lack of action and urged members of the environmental assessment panel to not block the progress, adding that they hope the Suhua Highway project can be brought back.

The second preliminary review of the Suhua Highway improvements will be carried out in the afternoon.

Protesters will move to the Environmental Protection Administration in an attempt to tell the environmental assessment commissioners that the issue is neither political nor environmental but, rather, a humanitarian one.

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