The Siraya people are to file an administrative suit with the High Administrative Court regarding their official indigenous status, and will be accompanied by Tainan Mayor William Lai (賴清德).
The Greater Tainan City Government has been helping the group “right their name” and regain their indigenous status, holding a forum on the recognition of the group and an information meeting about the administrative lawsuit at the Tainan Siraya Cultural Hall yesterday, in which the Siraya people announced a recognition declaration and academics made speeches.
Lai said the Siraya people are “Taiwanese plains Aborigines,” who had been recognized by the former Tainan County Government as a “county-recognized indigenous group,” and have continued to be acknowledged by the special municipality as a “city-recognized indigenous group” after the merger of Tainan County and Tainan City.
Photo: Lin Meng-ting, Taipei Times
However, the Siraya people have not been officially recognized on a national level, Lai said.
“People without human rights are as if they have no souls,” Siraya Cultural Association head Wan Cheng-hsiung (萬正雄) said.
The Siraya people have been living on this land for more than 400 years, but the Sirayan culture has been repressed and destroyed by a series of foreign regimes, Wan said, adding that the Siraya people were hoping to achieve “historical justice” and secure their human rights through the recognition movement.
Tainan Ethnic Affairs Commission (EAC) director Wang Chi-min (汪志敏) said the recognition of a person’s identity is a natural right that they cannot be deprived of.
By making great efforts and progress on cultural restoration, including the preservation of the group’s music and traditional rituals, and the reconstruction of tribes, the Siraya people have rebuilt their self-identity, Wang said.
However, petitioning attempts in recent years to urge the government to have the Siraya people officially listed as one of the nation’s recognized Aboriginal groups have been repeatedly rejected by the Executive Yuan, EAC Preparation Committee of the Siraya People Affairs executive secretary Wan Shu-chuan (萬淑娟) said.
Appeals lodged against the decisions have also been turned down, she added.
The recognition movement has now entered the judicial stage and the Siraya people plan to arrive in Taipei on Wednesday to file an administrative lawsuit with the High Administrative Court.
Saying that he would be accompanying the group to Taipei, Lai expressed his hope that the case could be resolved during his term, adding that bringing the case to the Constitutional Court, if needed, is an option.
Additional reporting by CNA
NEW AGREEMENT: Malaysia approved imports last year after nearly two years of negotiations and inspections to meet quarantine requirements, officials said Up to 3.6 tonnes of pomeloes from Taiwan cleared Malaysian customs on Friday, in the first shipment of Taiwanese pomeloes to Malaysia. Taiwan-grown pomeloes are popular in domestic and overseas markets for their tender and juicy taste, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Agency said. The fruit is already exported to Japan, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore and the Philippines, it added. The agency began applying for access to the Malaysian market in 2023, compiling data on climate suitability, pests and diseases, and post-harvest handling, while also engaging in nearly two years of negotiations with Malaysian authorities and submitting supplementary
PEAK MONTHS: Data showed that on average 25 to 27 typhoons formed in the Pacific and South China seas annually, with about four forming per month in July and October One of three tropical depressions in the Pacific strengthened into a typhoon yesterday afternoon, while two others are expected to become typhoons by today, Central Weather Administration (CWA) forecaster Lee Ming-hsiang (李名翔) said yesterday. The outer circulation of Tropical Depression No. 20, now Typhoon Mitag, has brought light rain to Hualien, Taitung and areas in the south, Lee said, adding that as of 2pm yesterday, Mitag was moving west-northwest at 16kph, but is not expected to directly affect Taiwan. It was possible that Tropical Depression No. 21 would become a typhoon as soon as last night, he said. It was moving in a
One of two tropical depressions that formed offshore this morning could turn into a moderate typhoon by the weekend, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Tropical Depression No. 21 formed at 8am about 1,850km off the southeast coast, CWA forecaster Lee Meng-hsuan (李孟軒) said. It is expected to move in a northwesterly direction as it continues building momentum, possibly intensifying into Typhoon Mitag this weekend, she added. The radius of the storm is expected to reach almost 200km, she said. It is expected to approach southeast of Taiwan on Monday and pass through the Bashi Channel between Tuesday and Wednesday,
About nine Taiwanese are “disappeared,” detained, or otherwise deprived of freedom of movement in China each month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Between Jan. 1 last year and Aug. 31 this year, 188 Taiwanese travelers went missing, were detained and interrogated, or had their personal freedom restricted, with some questioned in airports or hotel lobbies, the council said. In a statement ahead of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the council urged people visiting China for any reason to be highly vigilant and aware of the risks. Of the reported cases, 50 people were “disappeared” after entering China, 19 were detained and 119 had
RSS