Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) yesterday condemned some opposition politicians for what she called a deliberate misinterpretation of her remarks about the government's Aboriginal policies. She said that those politicians should apologize to the public, but that she would not.
"I made none of those remarks provoking the Aboriginal communities, so why should I apologize?" Lu said, responding to reporters' questions about a protest by Aborigines against her remarks that was staged in front of the Presidential Office yesterday after-noon.
Lu insisted that the public should find out who actually made the inappropriate remarks.
PHOTO: CNA
"I did not say that the government must force Aborigines to emigrate to Central America, I just suggested that the government's emigration policy should reconsider how to assist residents in central Taiwan's mountain areas to develop new careers in other countries, such as Taiwan's allies in Central America," Lu said.
Lu reaffirmed her statement that no human being is the master of the earth because everyone is just a passing visitor on the planet, so "all of us must respect nature."
"Moreover, I never used the word `extinction' about Aboriginal tribes; it was an Aboriginal legislator using the word to exaggerate my remark maliciously. I think that all
"Aboriginal communities should ask this lawmaker to officially apologize," Lu said.
She blamed those who she said misinterpreted her remarks, saying that they should stop arousing ethnic strife to benefit their personal interests in the upcoming legislative elections.
Lu welcomed Aboriginal citizens to visit Ketagalan Square in front of the Presidential Office, but asked that they sing their traditional folk songs and perform dances instead of carrying guns and knives.
Though some Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislators defended Lu's remarks, they suggested Lu make an apology to end what they called unnecessary disputes between the Aboriginal community and the DPP government.
"We have sent a letter to all Aboriginal tribal leaders to introduce what the vice president really said and to compare these words with the media's and other politicians' incorrect versions," DPP Ethnic Affairs Department chief Yang Chang-cheng (
Yang said that the party sincerely expected the Aboriginal communities not to be misguided by a few malicious politicians, but he also quoted some DPP leaders as saying that "there is nothing bad about making a short goodwill remark expressing regret."
Other politicians said that damage had been done.
"Those aboriginal tribes originally all disliked the DPP; it was a difficult job to communicate with them. Now that we finally won trust from some of them, Lu's remarks -- in which she said that those Aborigines were not Taiwan's first inhabitants -- just spoiled our efforts," said Mayaw Kumud (
Lee Hung-hsi (
"The main point of the Aboriginal issue is not those recent word wars between the vice president and the Aborigines," said Lee. "It is what goals the government is capable of achieving."
"Some politicians aroused Aborigines' anger to attack Lu, so we can leave the issue to Lu herself to decide whether to apologize," Lee said.
"But we must clearly understand that the government has allocated much more of its budget than other advanced democratic countries, and much more than the former KMT government, to improve Aboriginal communities' welfare and to promote Aboriginal citizens' rights," Lee said.
"Now the public and the Aboriginal leaders should focus on whether President Chen's administration can realize the president's campaign goal of developing `quasi-state-to-state' relationship between the government and the future Aboriginal autonomous region," Lee said.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS