Tensions between filmmaker Peng Chia-chia (澎恰恰) and supporters of Aboriginal rights escalated yesterday over a movie trailer accused of portraying Aboriginal culture in a derogatory manner.
An upcoming comedy film directed by Peng, Iron Lion Jade Dragon 2 (鐵獅玉玲瓏 2), has been mired in controversy since the release of its trailer early last month, with critics saying that the trailer’s portrayal of the Sediq people was inappropriate.
In a Facebook post on Friday, Peng called for an “open debate” with representatives from the Sediq group after refusing to publish an official apology in major national newspapers, as demanded by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Uliw Qaljupayare — a Paiwan Aborigine also known by his Chinese name, Chien Tung-ming (簡東明).
The trailer that sparked debate features Peng and fellow comedian Hsu Hsiao-shun (許效舜) dressed in traditional Sediq clothing while speaking and singing gibberish, in an apparent attempt to parody the 2011 epic Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (彩虹戰士:賽德克巴萊) — which was filmed mostly in the Sediq and Japanese languages.
It has also been said to mock Mona Rudao — the Sediq chief who led an uprising against Japanese colonial rule leading to the Wushe Incident (霧社事件) in 1930 — with the duo likening the pronunciation of the chief’s name “Mona” to the Taiwanese idiom bong la-a kiam se khoo (摸蜊仔兼洗褲) which literally means to “wash one’s pants while digging for clams” — to kill two birds with one stone.
Peng said he has already apologized and removed the trailer from the Internet, adding that any further charges are “too hurtful to bear,” and that it is his critics who are provoking ethnic tensions.
A legislative motion led by Uliw Qaljupayare demanding an apology from Peng was passed at the legislature’s plenary session on Tuesday, while discussions to establish an anti-discrimination law are also under way.
Sediq National Congress member and Aboriginal activist Awi Nokan said that Peng “does not understand at all” the issues at stake, adding: “He is unable to empathize with disadvantaged groups.”
He said the issue highlighted the importance of anti-discrimination legislation, as many Taiwanese seem to be “indifferent” to discriminatory or insensitive comments.
Last month, Aboriginal director Umin Boya, best-known for last year’s baseball-themed movie Kano, said the trailer poked fun at the “historical wounds” of both the Sediq and Japanese, and blasted Peng for propagating discriminatory views.
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
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
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
RSS