The Council of Indigenous Peoples and the Ministry of Culture yesterday released three new Chinese-language translations of books on Austronesian culture in the hopes of “shortening the distance” between Taiwan and its neighbors in Oceania and Southeast Asia.
In an event in Taipei attended by Marshallese Ambassador to Taiwan Neijon Rema Edwards, the council unveiled its translations of the three volumes originally written in English.
Bravo for Marshallese: Regaining Control in a Post-
Photo courtesy of the Council of Indigenous Peoples
nuclear, Post-colonial World is a 2004 case study by Holly Barker, a professor at the University of Washington, in which she discusses the history and effects of the US’ nuclear weapons testing program in the Marshall Islands from 1946 to 1958.
The 13 essays included in Pacific Histories: Ocean, Land, People, released in 2004 by editors David Armitage, a professor at Harvard University, and Alison Bashford, a professor at the University of New South Wales, aim to provide a “multidimensional account of the Pacific, its inhabitants and the lands within and around it.”
The third volume, Everyday Life in Southeast Asia, released in 2011 by editors Kathleen Adams, a Colorado-based writer, and Kathleen Gillogly, a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, focuses on ordinary people across an array of cultures and regions through 24 wide-ranging essays.
Taiwanese Aborigines and islanders across Southeast Asia and Oceania are part of the Austronesian language group, making Taiwan an integral part of the Pacific, council Minister Icyang Parod said.
Archeological evidence suggests that Austronesian people began migrating south from Taiwan about 5,000 years ago and spread to the furthest islands in the world’s largest ocean, he said.
Besides being the origin of Austronesian cultures, Taiwan has also throughout its history maintained close interactions with the Pacific, he added.
Further evidence for this link was revealed last month in a study coauthered by Taiwanese archeologist Hung Hsiao-chun (洪曉純) on ancestral links between the Chamorro community in the US territory of Guam and Aborigines in the northern Philippines, whose ancestry can be traced to Taiwan, Icyang added.
Since its inauguration in 2016, the council’s translation project has aimed to deepen Chinese speakers’ understanding of Southeast Asia and Oceania by translating books on culture, history and politics, Icyang said, adding that the council aims to inspire further dialogue between Taiwan and Austronesia.
EVA Air is prohibiting the use of portable chargers on board all flights starting from Saturday, while China Airlines is advising passengers not to use them, following the lead of South Korean airlines. Current regulations prohibit portable chargers and lithium batteries from check-in luggage and require them to be properly packed in carry-on baggage, EVA Air said. To improve onboard safety, portable chargers and spare lithium batteries would be prohibited from use on all fights starting on Saturday, it said. Passengers are advised to fully charge electronic devices before boarding and use the AC and USB charging outlets at their seat, it said. South
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
WAR SIMULATION: The developers of the board game ‘2045’ consulted experts and analysts, and made maps based on real-life Chinese People’s Liberation Army exercises To stop invading Chinese forces seizing Taiwan, board gamer Ruth Zhong chooses the nuclear option: Dropping an atomic bomb on Taipei to secure the nation’s freedom and her victory. The Taiwanese board game 2045 is a zero-sum contest of military strategy and individual self-interest that puts players on the front lines of a simulated Chinese attack. Their battlefield game tactics would determine the theoretical future of Taiwan, which in the real world faces the constant threat of a Chinese invasion. “The most interesting part of this game is that you have to make continuous decisions based on the evolving situation,
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
RSS