Aborigines yesterday protested against the host of the Double Ten National Day ceremony using a ridiculous phrase to introduce the nation’s 16 recognized Aboriginal tribes, saying it was demeaning and made Aborigines the butt of a joke.
Host Ho Wei-lun (何偉綸) said “ Shao Tai tai da ka, A sa bu lu ge, bei xia de pao zou la” (邵太太打卡，阿薩不魯哥，被嚇得跑走啦). The term "A sa bu lu ge" means “ill-behaved” in Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese).
Aboriginal groups said the incident showed the government was not serious about its commitment to lift the oppression of Aborigines.
Photo: CNA
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Sufin Siluko, who is an Amis, said the act was disrespectful and went against the olive branch President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) extended toward Aborigines when she made a formal apology to them on behalf of the government in August.
Sufin Siluko said he was “very unhappy” to hear about the incident, especially given the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) continuous reiteration that it wants to implement transitional justice for Aborigines.
The Tsai administration should seek to “transition” itself to justice and remove the ethnic Han chauvinism that is ubiquitous in government, he said, adding that only then will the government finally have respect for Aborigines.
Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said that no event should ever turn ethnicity into a joke and he would be making a formal apology to all Aborigines on behalf of the government and would be asking the National Day Preparation Committee to make a formal apology as well.
As legislative speaker, Su was in charge of the organizing committee.
The committee said it came up with the phrase to highlight Taiwan’s acceptance of multiple ethnicities and wanted the public to be aware that Aboriginal culture is unique and treasured in Taiwan, adding it had not meant disrespect by what it thought was an opportunity for creative teaching.
The committee offered its apologies and said it would ensure that there would not be a repeat of the incident.
Premier Lin Chuan (林全) yesterday afternoon told lawmakers that that he had not noticed the phrase during the ceremony because the event was very noisy.
Lin made the comment in response to KMT Legislator Chien Tung-ming (簡東明), who had asked him if he agreed with the phrase.
Lin said that at the time he did not understand the meaning of the phrase and only realized that it was very disrespectful toward Aborigines after the incident was reported by the media.
That such a phrase would be used on such a solemn occasion as the National Day ceremony was inappropriate, Lin said.
Asked how the government should change after several incidents of mishandling commentary about Aborigines, Lin said the government should change its attitude and try to learn about different cultures.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-Wong tomorrow, which it said would possibly make landfall near central Taiwan. As of 2am yesterday, Fung-Wong was about 1,760km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving west-northwest at 26kph. It is forecast to reach Luzon in the northern Philippines by tomorrow, the CWA said. After entering the South China Sea, Typhoon Fung-Wong is likely to turn northward toward Taiwan, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said, adding that it would likely make landfall near central Taiwan. The CWA expects to issue a land
Taiwan’s exports soared to an all-time high of US$61.8 billion last month, surging 49.7 percent from a year earlier, as the global frenzy for artificial intelligence (AI) applications and new consumer electronics powered shipments of high-tech goods, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. It was the first time exports had exceeded the US$60 billion mark, fueled by the global boom in AI development that has significantly boosted Taiwanese companies across the international supply chain, Department of Statistics Director-General Beatrice Tsai (蔡美娜) told a media briefing. “There is a consensus among major AI players that the upcycle is still in its early stage,”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
RSS