At a press conference yesterday in Taipei to announce that Aug. 1 will be henceforth be "Indigenous People's Re-designation Day," Premier Frank Hsieh (
"I have no idea which tribe my great-grandmother belonged to," the premier said. "However, I think she must have been Bunun because whenever I hear Bunun music, I become excited and emotional."
The Cabinet has set aside the special day to accentuate its determination to preserve Aboriginal cultures and ways of life and to boost their well-being.
PHOTO: LO PEI-DER, TAIPEI TIMES
Many members of Taiwan's indigenous tribes were called "mountain people," which carried a derogatory connotation. They were not re-designated as "indigenous peoples" to appropriately reflect their ethnic origins until the 1990s.
Hsieh showed up at the press conference in the Tsou Tribe's traditional outfit. In the meantime, a Tsou tribal chieftain decorated the premier with a headband and a special knife. The Tsou chieftain also gave Hsieh a Tsou tribal name.
Many other Cabinet members attending the news conference yesterday were also given a Tsou tribal name.
Indigenous people were forced to take Mandarin names and were deprived of other rights during the martial law era of Chinese Nationalist Party's (KMT) rule. Hsieh said that the government has been working hard to correct past wrongs and make sure they are never repeated.
The premier promised that the Cabinet will continue to improve welfare services for Aborigines in line with the principle of "giving priority to caring for the underprivileged."
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
RSS