A law guaranteeing the autonomy of the nation's indigenous peoples was passed by the legislature yesterday, in a move that Aboriginal legislators hailed as ground-breaking.
"A historic moment for Aborigines occurred at 11:59 am [yesterday]," said independent Aboriginal legislator May Chin (
The basic law, which has been over 10 years in the making, guarantees that government support and resources will be given to the development of a self-governing system for the nation's indigenous people. It stipulates that the government will create agencies for Aboriginal language research and cultural promotion through media channels, and that it will give preference to Aboriginal land names.
Furthermore, the law provides for the inclusion of a special chapter regarding Aboriginal rights in any national declaration of rights. Other articles protect Aboriginal land and cultural rights.
The passage of the law, with its provision for Aboriginal autonomy, has long been a goal of Aboriginal groups and lawmakers.
"The Aboriginal Basic Law is a delayed law, but it is also to be the source of Aboriginal rights," said Aboriginal lawmaker Yang Jen-fu (
"The passage of the Aboriginal Basic Law not only gives the future of the Aboriginal people clear and secure direction, but it is also an important milestone in the development of Aboriginal culture," said fellow indigenous lawmaker Tseng Hua-teh (曾華德) yesterday."I hope that the government will do its best to fulfill all of its stipulations."
Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China when traveling in countries with close ties to Beijing, Taiwan Association of University Professors deputy chairman Chen Li-fu (陳俐甫) said on Friday. Chen’s comments came after China on Friday last week announced new judicial guidelines targeting Taiwanese independence advocates. Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos and Djibouti are among the countries where Taiwanese could risk being extradited to China, he said. The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) on Thursday elevated the travel alert for China, Hong Kong and Macau to “orange” after Beijing announced its guidelines to “severely punish Taiwanese independence diehards for splitting the country and inciting secession.” Extradition treaties
Taiwan and Thailand have signed an agreement to promote and protect bilateral investment and trade, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations (OTN) said on Friday. The agreement on “Promotion and Protection of Investments” was signed by Representative to Thailand Chang Chun-fu (張俊福) and Thailand Trade and Economic Office in Taipei executive director Narong Boonsatheanwong on Thursday, the OTN said in a news release. Thailand has become the fifth trading partner to sign an investment agreement with Taiwan since 2016, following earlier agreements with the Philippines, India, Vietnam and Canada, the OTN said. The deal marks a significant milestone in the development of
The entire Alishan Forest Railway line is to reopen for the first time in 15 years on Saturday, with tickets to go on sale at 2pm today. The historic railway from Chiayi to Alishan (阿里山) is finally set to reopen after the completion of the final No. 42 tunnel, Alishan Forest Railway and Cultural Heritage Office Deputy Director-General Chou Heng-kai (周恆凱) said. It is to run on a new timetable, with four trains daily, he said. The 9am train is to depart from Chiayi Railway Station bound for Shizilu Station (十字路), while the 10am train departing from Chiayi is to go all the
CROSS-BORDER CRIME: The suspects cannot be charged with cybercrime in Indonesia as their targets were in Malaysia, an Indonesian immigration director said Indonesian immigration authorities have detained 103 Taiwanese after a raid at a villa on Bali, officials said yesterday. They were accused of misusing their visas and residence permits, and are suspected of possible cybercrimes, Safar Muhammad Godam, director of immigration supervision and enforcement at the Indonesian Ministry of Law and Human Rights told reporters at a news conference. “The 103 foreign nationals stayed at the villa and conducted suspicious activities, which we suspect are activities related to cybercrime activities,” he said, presenting laptops and routers at the news conference. Godam said Indonesian authorities cannot charge them with conducting cybercrime. “During the inspection, we