Pingpu Aboriginal activists have filed a request to the UN, asking it to launch an investigation into the Taiwanese government's refusal to grant them official Aboriginal status.
“To [this] date, the government and the Council of Indigenous Peoples [CIP] still deny the Pingpu people of their history and refuse to register their ethnic group status, saying that they are not indigenous peoples,” said a letter in English addressed to the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples, James Anaya.
The letter was written by Jason Pan (潘紀揚), director of the Taiwan Association for Rights Advancements for Pingpu Plains Aborigines, on behalf of a number of Pingpu rights groups.
The Pingpu used to live in the plains areas of Taiwan.
They were recognized as Aborigines until the 1950s, when they failed to register their ethnic status with local governments and have been struggling to regain the status in recent decades.
Pingpu activists have taken to the streets several times and filed a lawsuit against the government last month. The petition to the UN is the latest move.
In the letter, Pan cited historical documents from the Dutch, Portuguese and Japanese to show that the Pingpu tribe has been in existence since at least the 17th century.
He also gave detailed accounts of actions that the Pingpu have taken to regain their Aboriginal status as well the government's responses.
“The letter was sent on April 16, and received a confirmation of reception from Anaya on April 28,” Pan told a press conference at the legislature yesterday. “There may be political issues since Taiwan is not a member of the UN, but indigenous issues should not be limited by national boundaries.”
Siraya Culture Association Chairwoman Uma Talavan voiced support for Pan's action.
“Every time when we make a move, that's another chance for our voice to be heard,” Talavan said.
Also see:Ministry’s U-turn incites Aboriginal legislators’ ire
In his National Day Rally speech on Sunday, Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) quoted the Taiwanese song One Small Umbrella (一支小雨傘) to describe his nation’s situation. Wong’s use of such a song shows Singapore’s familiarity with Taiwan’s culture and is a perfect reflection of exchanges between the two nations, Representative to Singapore Tung Chen-yuan (童振源) said yesterday in a post on Facebook. Wong quoted the song, saying: “As the rain gets heavier, I will take care of you, and you,” in Mandarin, using it as a metaphor for Singaporeans coming together to face challenges. Other Singaporean politicians have also used Taiwanese songs
NORTHERN STRIKE: Taiwanese military personnel have been training ‘in strategic and tactical battle operations’ in Michigan, a former US diplomat said More than 500 Taiwanese troops participated in this year’s Northern Strike military exercise held at Lake Michigan by the US, a Pentagon-run news outlet reported yesterday. The Michigan National Guard-sponsored drill involved 7,500 military personnel from 36 nations and territories around the world, the Stars and Stripes said. This year’s edition of Northern Strike, which concluded on Sunday, simulated a war in the Indo-Pacific region in a departure from its traditional European focus, it said. The change indicated a greater shift in the US armed forces’ attention to a potential conflict in Asia, it added. Citing a briefing by a Michigan National Guard senior
CHIPMAKING INVESTMENT: J.W. Kuo told legislators that Department of Investment Review approval would be needed were Washington to seek a TSMC board seat Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) yesterday said he received information about a possible US government investment in Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and an assessment of the possible effect on the firm requires further discussion. If the US were to invest in TSMC, the plan would need to be reviewed by the Department of Investment Review, Kuo told reporters ahead of a hearing of the legislature’s Economics Committee. Kuo’s remarks came after US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on Tuesday said that the US government is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in computer chip manufacturers that
CLAMPING DOWN: At the preliminary stage on Jan. 1 next year, only core personnel of the military, the civil service and public schools would be subject to inspections Regular checks are to be conducted from next year to clamp down on military personnel, civil servants and public-school teachers with Chinese citizenship or Chinese household registration, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Article 9-1 of the Act Governing Relations Between the People of the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area (臺灣地區與大陸地區人民關係條例) stipulates that Taiwanese who obtain Chinese household registration or a Chinese passport would be deprived of their Taiwanese citizenship and lose their right to work in the military, public service or public schools, it said. To identify and prevent the illegal employment of holders of Chinese ID cards or