President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday stood firm on his stance to launch the controversial adjustments made to high-school curriculum guidelines as he addressed one of the debatable items regarding Aborigines.
The government “harbored no ill intent” by changing the term “Aborigines” (原住民) to “Aboriginal ethnicity” (原住民族), Ma said when he delivered a speech at the national conference on indigenous issues.
Ma said that the replacement was made because “Aboriginal ethnicity” is the term generally used in the Republic of China Constitution and law.
“In this regard, the change was made to help indigenous people create a sense of belonging and build autonomy. This was our ultimate objective,” Ma said, without elaborating on how the change would achieve that goal.
Aboriginal activist groups said the reintroduction of “Aboriginal ethnicity” in the new guidelines, to be launched today, demonstrates how the curriculums are guided by “Han-centered” historical views only.
As defined under the Indigenous Peoples Basic Act (原住民族基本法), “Aboriginal ethnicity” only refers to the 16 recognized Aboriginal tribes, meaning that the Pingpu tribes do not exist, with the exception of the Kavalan tribe, recognized as the 11th Aboriginal tribe in 2002.
Pingpu tribes refer to the nation’s plains-dwelling Aborigines, who belong to several different tribes, each with its own distinct culture.
Meanwhile, reporters hurled questions at Ma when he arrived at the conference venue, asking if his administration would respond to the demands of the students that the new version of the curriculum guidelines be revoked and Minister of Education Wu Se-hwa (吳思華) step down over the controversy.
Ma walked quickly into the conference room without answering the questions.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS