Aboriginal rights activists yesterday rallied on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei, calling for changes to place names in Aboriginal regions across the country from the current government-imposed names that hold political connotations.
Dozens of activists yesterday rallied on the road in front of the Presidential Office Building, protesting the government’s naming of places such as Guangfu Township (光復) in Hualien County and Fusing Township (復興) in Taoyuan County.
The term guangfu literally means “restoration of Taiwan,” referring to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regime’s takeover of the country after the Japanese surrendered in 1945, while the term fusing means “revival of the nation,” referring to the KMT regime’s goal to reclaim the mainland.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
In addition, Renai (仁愛) and Sinyi (信義) townships in Nantou County mean “benevolence” and “fidelity and honesty” respectively, while Heping District (和平) in Taichung means “peace.”
“There are 55 Aboriginal townships around the country, but during 30 years of the Aboriginal rights movement, only the former Wufeng Township (吳鳳) in Chiayi County and the former Sanmin Township (三民) in former Kaohsiung County have been successfully renamed — Alishan and Namasiya — so far,” said Yapasuyongu Akuyana, a Tsou Aborigine representing the Indigenous Peoples’ Action Coalition of Taiwan, addressing demonstrators and the media. “As more and more tribal elders who still clearly remember the original Aboriginal place names are leaving us, those names will eventually be forgotten if we don’t stand up to demand the change now.”
“Wufeng” is the name of a historic figure who is said to have sacrificed his own life to “correct” the headhunt custom of Tsou Aborigines, while “sanmin” refers to the Three Principles of the People coined by Republic of China founder Sun Yat-sen (孫逸仙).
Lin Shih-wei (林世偉), an Atayal artist from Jianshi Township (尖石), Hsinchu County, burst into tears while saying that the government has not only taken their lands, but also changed the names, forcing them into exile on their own lands.
“I am especially heartbroken that, despite our invitations, none of the Aboriginal lawmakers showed up in the rally,” he said.
Earlier in the week, a group of young Amis Aborigines from Tafalong and Fata’an villages in Guangfu protested the township’s name by painting the two villages’ names and the question “whose restoration is it?” on the walls of the Guangfu Township Office.
WANG RELEASED: A police investigation showed that an organized crime group allegedly taught their clients how to pretend to be sick during medical exams Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) and 11 others were released on bail yesterday, after being questioned for allegedly dodging compulsory military service or forging documents to help others avoid serving. Wang, 33, was catapulted into stardom for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代). Lately, he has been focusing on developing his entertainment career in China. The New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office last month began investigating an organized crime group that is allegedly helping men dodge compulsory military service using falsified documents. Police in New Taipei City Yonghe Precinct at the end of last month arrested the main suspect,
A cat named Mikan (蜜柑) has brought in revenue of more than NT$10 million (US$305,390) for the Kaohsiung MRT last year. Mikan, born on April 4, 2020, was a stray cat before being adopted by personnel of Kaohsiung MRT’s Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station. Mikan was named after a Japanese term for mandarin orange due to his color and because he looks like an orange when curled up. He was named “station master” of Ciaotou Sugar Refinery Station in September 2020, and has since become famous. With Kaohsiung MRT’s branding, along with the release of a set of cultural and creative products, station master Mikan
Eleven people, including actor Darren Wang (王大陸), were taken into custody today for questioning regarding the evasion of compulsory military service and document forgery, the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said. Eight of the people, including Wang, are suspected of evading military service, while three are suspected of forging medical documents to assist them, the report said. They are all being questioned by police and would later be transferred to the prosecutors’ office for further investigation. Three men surnamed Lee (李), Chang (張) and Lin (林) are suspected of improperly assisting conscripts in changing their military classification from “stand-by
LITTORAL REGIMENTS: The US Marine Corps is transitioning to an ‘island hopping’ strategy to counterattack Beijing’s area denial strategy The US Marine Corps (USMC) has introduced new anti-drone systems to bolster air defense in the Pacific island chain amid growing Chinese military influence in the region, The Telegraph reported on Sunday. The new Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Mk 1 is being developed to counter “the growing menace of unmanned aerial systems,” it cited the Marine Corps as saying. China has constructed a powerful defense mechanism in the Pacific Ocean west of the first island chain by deploying weapons such as rockets, submarines and anti-ship missiles — which is part of its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategy against adversaries — the
RSS