Fifty years after it was renamed to conform to Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) political ideology, local councilors in Sanmin Township (三民), Kaohsiung County, yesterday unanimously voted for a new Aboriginal name for the township, effective Jan. 1.
"The seven-member township council has ... unanimously agreed to change the township name to Namasiya Township (那瑪夏)," Mayor Husong Istanda told the Taipei Times in a telephone interview.
"Namasiya" is a southern Tsou Aboriginal name for the Nanzihsian River (
"Our ancestors called this place Namasiya, after the river, more than a hundred years ago," Husong said.
The three villages will also have their original names restored: Nanisaru (
Home to Aborigines of the Bunun and southern Tsou tribes, Sanmin was called Mayatsun under the Japanese rule and then Maya Township (
A similar process took place in Kaohsiung County's two other Aboriginal townships, now called Taoyuan (
The three villages in the township were renamed Mintsu ("nationalism," 民族), Minchuan ("democracy," 民權) and Minsheng ("livelihood," 民生) at the same time.
In recent years, locals have discussed the viability of changing the name, but there was disagreement on which one the township should adopt.
"Although we all knew that our ancestors called this place Namasiya, the only name we could find on written documents was `Maya Township,'" Husong said. "So we planned to use the name `Maya Township' at first -- but many residents objected."
A 34-member name restoration commission then looked for a way to resolve the dispute, Husong said.
"Finally, the commission found historical documents dating back to the Qing Dynasty with the name `Namasiya' written on them," Hu said.
"As everybody agreed on the name, we submitted it [to the township council]." he said.
The Democratic Progressive Party-controlled Kaohsiung County Government has supported the move, though the residents of Sanmin Township, like other Aboriginal townships, have been strong supporters of KMT candidates in national elections.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS