An Aboriginal legislator yesterday said the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) legislative caucus was excluding Aboriginal rights from legislative discussions.
“I feel strongly about the Judiciary and Organic Laws and Statutes Committee not inviting the Council of Indigenous Peoples,” Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) said at a meeting of the Internal Administration Committee.
Chin said the council was the only Cabinet-level agency that had not been invited to send a representative to the hearing on draft legislation to promote transitional justice, adding that the omission reflected a wider absence of Aboriginal rights in discussions over transitional justice, with the DPP focusing primarily on rectifying abuses committed during the Martial Law period.
“When we talk about the Chinese National Party’s [KMT] assets, should we not also talk about how Aborigines lost their land during Japanese colonial rule? If we do not talk about that set of issues and do not even invite the Council of Indigenous Peoples to express an opinion, what kind of transitional justice is this?” she said.
Council of Indigenous Peoples Minister Mayaw Dongi (林江義) said that any discussion of transitional justice should include at least the issue of Aboriginal land rights, citing a 1895 order by the Japanese colonial government that asserted control over any land not covered by a written contract, effectively confiscating vast swathes of undeveloped land occupied by Aborigines.
Association for Taiwan Indigenous Peoples’ Policies chairman Oto Micyang, an Amis, agreed with Kao, adding that she should be responsible for proposing alternative legislation.
“If you separate out transitional justice for Aborigines, its content will be narrowed and our justice will end up getting marginalized,” Mycyang said. “Aborigines can not be excluded from discussions of traditional justice, because we also have important historical claims.”
He added that the apology to Aborigines that president-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has promised to issue after taking office would only be meaningful if it directly addressed land rights, adding that while many apologies had been issued in the past, they were “worthless,” because no action was taken to rectify injustices.
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
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS