The Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) four Aboriginal lawmakers and Non-Partisan Solidarity Union Legislator May Chin (高金素梅) turned down invitations to today’s ceremony in which President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) is to apologize on behalf of the government to the nation’s Aborigines.
More than 100 Aboriginal representatives and lawmakers have been invited to the event at the Presidential Office Building.
KMT Legislator Liao Kuo-tung (廖國棟), an Amis Aborigine, yesterday said that he would begin his tenure with the KMT caucus today, so it would be inappropriate for him to attend the event.
Liao said he has discussed the issue with KMT legislators Sra Kacaw, another Amis, Chien Tung-ming (簡東明), who is a Paiwan, and Kung Wen-chi (孔文吉), who is Sediq and Atayal, and they said they do not plan to attend the ceremony.
Liao said that since former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) has already apologized to Aborigines, Aboriginal communities are concerned about what Tsai will say.
Liao said that National Security Council senior adviser Yao Jen-to (姚人多) has said Tsai’s apology would be a “campaign move” and asked what the objective of the campaign would be, adding that Aborigines would not be happy if the apology has nothing concrete to offer.
Liao urged Tsai to discuss her stance on the return of Aboriginal lands and the management of natural resources.
New Power Party (NPP) Legislator Kawlo Iyun Pacidal, also an Amis, said she would join Aboriginal rights advocacy groups that are to demonstrate outside the Presidential Office Building.
NPP Executive Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) said he would attend the ceremony.
Pacidal said that she approves of Tsai’s attitude and supports many of Tsai’s Aboriginal policies, but since she had promised Aboriginal rights advocacy groups that she would join them, she decided to honor her pledge by attending a demonstration about elderly care issues for Aborigines.
Pacidal said she hopes Tsai would confirm that the government and Aborigines are in a “quasi-state-to-state relationship,” so that Aboriginal communities can become political entities.
She called on Tsai to urge the government to propose legislation on transitional justice for Aborigines and implement the Aboriginal Basic Act (原住民族基本法).
Several Aboriginal rights groups plan to demonstrate outside the Presidential Office Building today, with an alliance for elderly care for Aborigines planning to march from the Legislative Yuan to the Presidential Office Building to submit a petition, while another group is to march from Sijhou Aboriginal Community (溪洲部落) in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) to the Presidential Office Building to demand justice for Aborigines.
A Taipei veterinarian is urging pet owners to avoid using insecticides around their homes, as their ingredients can be toxic to pets. Commercial-grade insecticides contain pyrethroids — organic compounds similar to natural pyrethrins, pesticides produced by flowers such as chrysanthemums — in quantities that are harmless to humans, but potentially fatal to cats and dogs, Asian Veterinary Specialist Referral Center veterinarian Chua Man-ling (蔡曼琳) said. Even in small quantities, pyrethroids are hazardous to cats, as they lack the metabolic enzymes needed to process them, Chua said. Cockroach sprays and ant traps are especially dangerous to pets as they contain boric acid, she
People should avoid eating too many zongzi (粽子, glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves), as consuming several in one meal could cause indigestion, bloating, gastric acid reflux, heartburn and other stomach ailments, a doctor said on Saturday. Zongzi is a traditional delicacy for the Dragon Boat Festival, which was on Thursday. Citing a recent case as an example, Cathay General Hospital gastroenterology department head Chu Yu-ming (朱淯銘) said that a 58-year-old taxi driver surnamed Hsiao (蕭) ate meals at irregular hours due to his work and has been taking diabetes medicine for three years. Hsiao recently bought a bag of zongzi and ate
While stereotypically considered a household pest that simply will not die, Hung Ting-yang’s (洪鼎揚) experience with Archimandrita tesselata, commonly called the peppered roach, might change a person’s mind. The peppered roach originates in South America, is omnivorous and, as it is capable of growing to 7cm to 9cm long, is a giant compared with other roaches, which have an average length of about 4cm. The peppered roach goes through six separate chrysalis stages and takes nine months to reach full maturity. Mature roaches have wings, but cannot fly and can only glide. They have an average lifespan of three years. As his
The EU’s list of safe nations to which it would reopen borders next week does not include Taiwan, but the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said the list has not been finalized and some EU countries have highlighted the importance of “reciprocity.” The provisional list comprises Algeria, Andorra, Australia, Canada, Georgia, Japan, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, New Zealand, Rwanda, San Marino, Serbia, South Korea, Thailand, Tunisia, Uruguay and the Vatican, the New York Times reported on Friday. The EU said it would add China, considered one of the “acceptable countries,” if it also opens its borders to EU travelers, the newspaper reported. Backed by
RSS