Absorbing the Council of Indigenous Peoples (CIP) into a larger entity would be a serious breach in the administration's promises to Aboriginals and a step backwards in ethnic policy, the CIP said Tuesday night in a statement.
The group was responding to potential amendments to the Organic Law of the Executive Yuan (
The CIP's contributions are such, the statement said, that the government should be considering elevating its status to a ministry, instead of its abolishment.
The amendments are being considered because of the passage of the Standard Organic Law of Central Government Agencies (
According to the statement, since the council's formation it has not only increased the govern-ment's ability to tackle Aboriginal issues, but has also fulfilled the wishes of Taiwan's indigenous people by giving them a real opportunity to participate in national policy-making.
If the council is abolished, Aboriginal issues will be marginalized and the political influence of Aborigines weakened, leading ultimately to assimilation for the ethnic group, the CIP said.
Throughout the statement, the CIP appealed to the government to remember President Chen Shui-bian's (
"If the government pushes through the amendments as planned ? President Chen's campaign promises will definitely fall short. There will be serious harm done to the administration's credibility," read the statement.
During a telephone interview, Aboriginal Legislator Walis Pelin (
"Combining the CIP with the Council of Hakka Affairs is a very strange idea and does not show respect for Aboriginal people," Walis said yesterday.
The CIP is already overburdened and underfunded, since everything related to Aboriginals, from land rights to education, is thrown at it, he said.
The Aboriginal people's position can only get worse if the CIP's duties end up being handled by a broader entity, Walis 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
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The age requirement for commercial pilots and airline transport pilots is to be lowered by two years, to 18 and 21 years respectively, to expand the pool of pilots in accordance with international standards, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications announced today. The changes are part of amendments to articles 93, 119 and 121 of the Regulations Governing Licenses and Ratings for Airmen (航空人員檢定給證管理規則). The amendments take into account age requirements for aviation personnel certification in the Convention on International Civil Aviation and EU’s aviation safety regulations, as well as the practical needs of managing aviation personnel licensing, the ministry said. The ministry
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